New Soul
by crazy-says-I
Summary: Ryou Shiozu looks at life through his camera. It's the safest place for him to be. So when the official dare devil of his new school - Bakura - takes an interest in him, will Ryou step out from behind the lens and really look at life? And love? Tendership
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hey everybody! So, this is going to be my first Yu-Gi-Oh mutli-chapter fic that I keep up here. I really hope it does well!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh Characters, but I own the story, so please don't use it!

**Warnings:** I've decided to not warn you about anything, because this is my story and I don't see a reason for me to warn you about my writing.

**A/N:** I titled this song "New Soul" after the song of the same name by Yael Naim. It's awesome, and I highly recommend it! Plus it fits Ryou very well.

**New Soul**

The day Ryou's mom left was terrible. It wasn't raining, but Ryou has always thought it should have been. Instead the sun was out. The weather acted as if it were any other summer day, when really it was the end of Ryou's life. Or it had felt like that at the time.

That day was the first day he had ever touched a camera. Through the tears that clouded his little seven-year old brown eyes he saw a hard black camera case on the bureau. He walked over and touched the cold box with trembling hands. He undid the latches and lifted the lid. The camera itself wasn't anything special. It was old, from at least 1960. It had belonged to Ryou's Grandmother, and neither of his parents ever got any use out of it.

Ryou could barely lift the camera up to his little face, but when he finally pushed the button he felt amazed. It felt as though the camera was picking up his life for him and only showing him what he wanted to see.

As fast as his legs would carry him, Ryou ran to the front door and looked at his parents hugging for the last time. Without wasting time he snapped the photo. There, he thought. Instead of his parents seperating forever, it only looked like they were saying goodbye before Daddy went on one of his digs.

Ryou decided that this was where he was supposed to be. Behind a camera, taking pictures only of the parts of life he wanted to see. He'd never have to deal with anything sad unless it somehow snuck into his shot.

Ryou's father walked past him and ruffled his long white hair. He turned his head so his son wouldn't see the tears in his eyes. Ryou swallowed a lump in his throat and watched his mother's taxi pull down the street and turn.

Yeah, not seeing the bad stuff would be a good change.

-

Three years later, when Ryou was ten, he got the news that his mom was dead. She'd been in a terrible accident with her new husband and neither one had made it.

The only picture of her funeral was a bundle of flowers with a ribbon that had gold letters spelling out "Mother" floating in the breeze.

-

"It's time to go, Ryou. Take one last picture and then get in the car."

Ryou nodded without really hearing what his dad was saying. Focusing his camera, he managed to fit just enough of the Maple tree in the shot that if he tilted his head just a bit to the side-

There. Perfect shot.

Or, perfect enough rather. The tree looked overwhelmed by the sunlight shining through it's branches, but not so much that it was unnoticable. Just enough that it was admirable for standing up to the rays beating down on it.

"Ryou, seriously. These movers haven't got all day." Sixteen-year-old Ryou Shiozu blinked his doe brown eyes and turned to see his dad shouting out the window of their Station Wagon at him. He sighed and took one last, short look at his childhood home. Then he ran to the passenger door and climbed in next to his father.

"Sorry, Dad." He said. Then they pulled out of the driveway and down the same street his mom's taxi had gone so many years ago.

"It's alright. I didn't mean to rush you it's just... you know...scheduled, and everything." Ryou nodded absently at his father's attempt at a conversation.

The only reason the man was even trying was because he knew Ryou wanted to be back in his darkroom in the basement, not moving to a different town in a different state where he'll have to get used to a whole new way of life.

Ryou put his camera away and put his iPod speakers in his ears, drowing out reality in a way that didn't invlove a lense.

As Ryou watched the scenery pass by out the window, he slowly realized that he didn't recognize a single tree or building or street they drove past. It was then that reality hit him and he knew he'd never see that old Maple tree again.

"We're here." Ryou looked through the windsheild at his father's words. There in front of them was a giant house. There were eleven windows on the front of the house alone. There was so much house that there was barely any yard, and the two front doors could probably have eaten the entirety of his old house had they wanted to.

"Dad, how are we affording this?" Ryou asked. His dad didn't say anything, but shrugged instead and got out of the car. Ryou followed his example and got out, unplugged his headphones and walked up to his new house.

He had to hold back a shudder. It was so impersonal, too big for just a father and his son. Ryou didn't even bother getting out his camera. There wasn't anything to photograph yet.

It took the whole afternoon, but eventually all the boxes and furniture from the moving trucks made it into the house. Around dinner time, Ryou eated up some Pizza Rolls in the microwave, reading his Physics book for school tomorrow. He was exceptionally bright and made it into all the Honors courses, but he wasn't exactly up to date with what the other students had learned so far. So he was planning on spending his night reading about it in his room.

He hated his new room, too. It was the smallest room in the house, but it was still huge. There was a bed in there he'd never seen before and dressers and a desk and a vanity and honestly it scared him. Where was his father getting the money for all of this?

Think of the devil. Ryou's dad walked into the kitchen and headed straight for the refrigorator, ignoring Ryou standing on the other side of the room at the microwave. Ryou decided now would be a good time to get some answers.

Usually he avoided all conversation with his father, on account of they had nothing to talk about. But this was important.

"Hey, dad?" He started. His dad jerked, smacking his head off the refrigerator in surprise. Ryou flinched at the sound, but continued as if it hadn't happened. "How are you affording this house?"

Mr. Shiozu sighed and put his hands down on the island counter seperating him from his son. He leaned all his weight on them and looked down at the granite. Ryou waiting patiently, ignoring the ringing of the timer on the microwave when his dinner was ready.

Finally, his dad sighed and said, "This isn't easy for me to do, son."

Ryou was immediately on his guard. His father had never spoken to him with such care before, such honesty. Ryou didn't know how he felt about the change.

"Just tell me, dad." The man sighed and tugged on his black ponytail.

"I'm leaving." Ryou blinked in the silence that followed.

"Like to the store?" He asked. His dad shook his head.

"More like, to Egypt." Ryou's doe eyes widened and Mr. Shiozu licked his lips before continuing. "That's where the money is coming from. I'm going to be leaving you here by yourself while I'll be on a dig with my old crew. I wanted to make sure you had a functional, stable place to stay while-"

"So you picked here? In this massive, castle that I've already gotten lost in?" Ryou walked up to the counter and angrily stared at his father.

"I chose the best school district where you'll have the chance to become something great in two years when you graduate. And yes, this castle, was necessary because this particular area has the best record for students making it to Ivy League."

"Dad, you know I don't want to go to an Ivy Leage school." The argument would have continued if Ryou hadn't caught on to what his dad was saying. "Wait... why are you setting me up for college already? How long is this dig?"

Mr. Shiozu didn't say anything. Ryou took that to mean a very long time.

"When will you be back?" He asked. His dad didn't look him in the eye. Ryou stepped back from the counter and pulled the sleeves of his black hoodie down over his hands. He wasn't very hungry anymore. Choking back the tears he looked at the man who had been there his entire life. The only constant he'd really had other than his house and his camera. "When do you leave?"

Mr. Shiozu straightened up as well and looked at the door of the kitchen, obviously wishing to drop the conversation without answering. But he knew he'd have to and that it would probably end worse than he'd ever imagined.

"Tomorrow. While you're at school."

"Well, then..." Ryou walked out the door, freezing at the door frame for the final words he'd say to his father. "Good bye, dad."

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So... this is my new story. :) It's not going to be great, I'll admit. It's defnitiely the most depressing beginning I've ever written, but it should be decent. Please review and tell me what you think!! I'm pretty excited, honestly, because I love Ryou so much!

Thanks!

Yobster


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thank you for the reviews!! You guys are sooo cool!  
**Disclaimers**: I don't own YuGiOh! Of course I wish I do, but wishing doesn't do any good without a penny and a well!

**First Day of School**

Ryou can't even remember what his first First Day of School was like. Certainly not this depressing. He knew for sure his parents had both been there. And they had been happy. There weren't any pictures, though.

It didn't take Ryou long at all to find the school. Aparently his father considered everything while choosing this house since it was only one block away.

Once he made it inside he found the office and introduced himself to the secretary as a new kid. Her face turned sadistic and she began laughing. Once she calmed down enough, she pointed to a wall of pictures. They had all been new students. They never last long, she said.

"Well, I don't have much of a choice." Ryou mumbled a thank you for his schedule and locker numbers. It took all he had to ignore the crazy laughs following him out the office door.

There weren't any students in the hallways yet, which Ryou was grateful for. He was sure they'd stare at him and gawk and glare and whatever. He supposed he couldn't blame them. He was 5'9" with long white hair at the age of 16. Not exactly common.

Thinking about how people would judge him reminded Ryou of something his dad used to say. 'Never judge someone before you get to know them. They may wind up as your best friend someday'.

"Stupid dad," Ryou said aloud as he opened his locker. Of course his dad had been packing this morning. He'd barely remembered to throw a good-bye over his shoulder as Ryou walked out the door. For some reason, though, Ryou was happy about that. He figured living alone in that giant house would be easier without ever knowing what it would be like to live with someone else.

There wasn't a lot Ryou could put in his locker. He had a messenger bag for his backpack and he only had two notebooks in it. Obsessing over school wasn't really his thing. Sure, he was in the Honors Classes, but it was more of him looking for something to do. He'd rather be taking pictures all day than anything else.

Other than the notebooks, Ryou had his camera in it's case, a pen, his iPod and a bag of candy in his book bag. The only thing in his locker was his coat. It was the middle of November, after all.

Ryou put the hood of his grey zip up jacket over his head and walked to homeroom with his hands in the pockets. People were starting the fill up the hallway and he already felt some eyes on him.

Ryou sat in the back by the window and put his feet up on the desk with his knees bent. His iPod was playing Matchbox Twenty in one ear and the other was headphone free. Before anyone else made it to the room, Ryou smiled to himself. He was being way too emo for his own taste.

He took his feet down and settled for no iPod, but rather the dulcet tunes of his homeroom class.

"You're just-you-you son of a bitch! I ain't no dog!"

"You're not very articulate either."

"I'll show you articulate!"

Ryou watched in amazement as the two boys fought in front of the class and no one even batted an eye.

"Don't worry, they're always like that." Ryou turned to the boy sitting next to him who had spoken.

He was probably an even five feet and he had the coolest hair Ryou had ever seen. His eyes were giant amythest ovals and they lit up his face when he smiled welcomingly at Ryou.

"Doesn't anyone try to stop them?" He asked, pulling down his hood. There was no need to be so guarded with this boy.

"We used to. But everyone got tired of it, so now we just let them go." He stuck out his hand. "I'm Yuugi Motou."

"Ryou Shiozu."

They shook hands and Ryou knew they'd be friends.

"Nice to meet you, Ryou!" He let go and turned to the front. "Those two are Jou and Seto. Jou, the blonde one, is my best friend. Seto...well...he can be kind of nice. Sometimes."

Yuugi blushed when Ryou giggled. His new friend obviously had a big heart, trying to make the bad guy sound nice.

"Are you going to introduce me to your friend, Yuugi?" Ryou looked at the person who was talking and nearly fell out of his seat. The boy was way closer than Ryou'd been expecting.

Try leaning on his desk right in his face. Yuugi sighed.

"Ryou, this is my other best friend, Malik. Please excuse the hormones- he got a few extra thousand of them at birth."

Ryou looked back at the boy, Malik, and forced a smile to show on his face. Don't get him wrong, Malik _was_ very cute. But the proximity was a little too much for him to handle on the first day.

"I was only being polite Yuugi, no need to insult me." He winked at the smaller boy before sitting down in front of Ryou.

"Man what a jerk!" A new arrival took the seat in front of Yuugi. Ryou recognized him as the blonde boy who'd been fighting in the front of the room, Jou.

"We know, you tell us every morning," Malik said rolling his eyes. He turned to Ryou. "So what's your schedule?"

"Oh, here." Ryou pulled out his schedule and handed it to Malik.

"Hey pal! I didn't even see you. My name is Jou." Ryou shook the boy's hand.

"I'm Ryou." He smiled. Jou seemed like everyone's big brother. Very energetic and protective.

"Oh, cool. You have first period with all of us, that's History. Then Tech Ed, with moi. Math with Jou third. Science with Yuugi and Jou. Lunch with all of us. Then Photography with Yuugi and English and French with all of us!" Malik smiled like a kid on Christmas. "We get you all day long!"

"Thank you for the play by play." Jou smirked at Malik and the other blonde hit him. Yuugi laughed.

"Actually that's probably a good thing. I'm going to need friends here so I don't end up on that wall in the principal's office."

They laughed at him even though Ryou was being seirous. He didn't care though, because he knew they'd decided to be his friends the minute they'd met.

-

History was never Ryou's strong point. He hated memorizing dates and names and New Deals and all that. What was the point if it happened tons of years ago? Anytime he asked this question the answer was, "Don't you want to be informed about your country?" Honestly the answer is, not really. If Ryou wants to know anything about his country it will be on the news in the morning. That's all he's interested in.

"Ugh. Whose idea was it to have history this early in the morning?" Yuugi moaned. Jou shrugged and propped his binder up as a pillow on his desk. Malik was staring across the room at some guy suggestively. He even winked at him. Ryou took the seat next to Jou and put his hood back up. Maybe he could catch some shut eye himself.

"Young man, please put your hood down. You know I don't accept hoods of any kinds in here." Ryou looked up at the teacher with an incredulous look. Of course he'd be in trouble first period.

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't know that." Ryou pulled down his hood and let his hair fall down. The teacher raised her eyebrow at him.

"Yes you do, I've told you a million times before." Ryou furrowed his brow and shook his head.

"No, I'm a new student. My name is Ryou Shiozu." he cocked his head to the side. The teacher blinked before blushing and covering her mouth with a hand.

"Oh, I'm sorry sweetheart. I thought you were someone else for a second. But he doesn't even have class this period."

Ryou shrugged as an acceptance of her apology. It didn't really bother him that she didn't know who he was. He couldn't help but notice some snickering behind him and he turned to look at Malik quesitoningly.

"I have a feeling that's going to happen to you a lot today." He said. Ryou wanted to ask him what he was talking about, but didn't get a chance to because the teacher started the lesson.

-

Tech Ed. was basically the same thing only worse. The teacher didn't believe him when he said his name. Instead he nearly sent him to the principal's office. Malik was no help, because he was busy in the back of the room with the boy he'd been flirting with in History. Apparently they never got sick of flirting.

Then was Math with Jou. The teacher didn't even ask him who he was, he just glared at him the entire class. Jou hung out with him in the back of the room since neither one of them really gave a hoot about functions. Seto was in the class, but he sat up front.

Jou didn't really take his eyes off of Seto if he wasn't talking to Ryou. Ryou suspected a crush behind all of the anger and fights, but he couldn't call it for sure yet since they'd only known each other for a few hours.

In Science, Yuugi and Jou played tic-tac-toe with him. The teacher was a new guy, so even though he was really nice he had close to no idea about teaching yet. As long as you were quiet you didn't have to pay attention. They did have assigned seats in this class though, for when lab day came around. The seat next to Ryou was empty and Jou and Yuugi sat across the aisle from him.

Finally it was lunch time.

"He's so hot. It should be illegal. And he's smart too, which is perfect for me. Someone who can keep up with me physically and mentally is truly a gift from the gods." Malik rambled about the boy he flirts with everyday.

Jou made a gagging motion to Ryou who chuckled. Yuugi was staring at his chatty blonde friend with a confused look on his face.

"But Malik, you know you aren't that sm- ouch!" He rubbed his arm where Malik pinched him. Jou and Ryou were laughing at them.

Ryou decided his new friends were exactly what he needed. He hadn't been in a bad mood since he met them this morning. It was brilliant.

"I'm very intelligent, Yuugi." Yuugi burst out laughing and pointed at Malik.

"Yeah, right!" he laughed. Ryou covered his mouth so Malik didn't think he was too mean, but it was very funny. Jou could barely contain himself.

"Am I missing something?" The four boys looked up at the new arrival. It was a boy who was probably only a few inches taller than Yuugi if you didn't count the hair. It looked pretty similar to Yuugi's, only pluss a few blonde streaks. He was also leaner than Yuugi, and very cute.

"Hey, Yami. We were just talking about Malik's IQ." Yuugi giggled. Yami smiled at him.

"I guess I can see the reason for all the laughter then." Malik stuck his tongue out at him.

"Whatever." He mumbled. Ryou stuck out his bottom lip in false sympathy.

"I'm sure you aren't dumb, Malik. Just a little slow." This sent Jou off again and brought more attention on Ryou than he'd originally planned for. Yami was staring at him like he was trying to solve a puzzle. Yuugi saw this look and immediately got to the introductions.

"Yami, this is Ryou. He's new to the school. Ryou, this is our friend Yami. He's lived down the street from me since we were in elementary school!" Yuugi smiled brightly at the prospect of his old friends and new friends getting along.

"Nice to meet you." Ryou said. Yami repeated him, then excused himself politely.

As soon as Yami was out of ear shot, Jou began whistling a familiar tune.

"We are not kissing in a tree, Jou. Shut up." Yuugi blushed something fierce and took a bite out of his sandwich.

-

Photography was Ryou's next class and he was extatic. It was sure to be amazing, escpecially because this was the first time Ryou was given the chance to take a class specifically for his own area of expertice.

The teacher was an old man with no plan for life. Ryou and Yuugi sat at the table closest to him. Yuugi because that's where he got stuck, Ryou because he was honeslty interested in what the teacher had to say.

"Alright, you know the drill." The teacher said. He didn't even glance at Ryou. He didn't do anything else either.

Yuugi pulled out a notebook and started doodling. All the other students had iPods or cell phones or anything not allowed at school out and they were playing with them. Ryou turned to Yuugi, confused.

"But, aren't we going to be learning about Photography." Yuugi looked up at Ryou and shook his head.

"Nope. Mr. Bachler doesn't really like teaching if he can get some sleep instead. Honestly, I don't hink he knows anything about photography either." Yuugi looked apologetically at his friend. Ryou swallowed and pulled out his camera.

Just because they weren't going to learn didn't mean he couldn't take pictures anyway.

When Ryou picked the camera up out of his case, his face automatically brightened. It was hard for him to be depressed and hold his camera at the same time.

Ryou turned it on and held it up to his face. It took a second to focus the lense, but he did and snapped a shot of Yuugi doodling in his notebook. Yuugi looked up at Ryou and before he could ask any questions, Ryou took another picture.

"What are you doing?" Yuugi asked. Ryou pulled the camera away from his face and answered him.

"I love photography. That's why I signed up. I've been taking pictures with this camera since I was seven years old." He smiled. "It's almost like another limb."

"That's so cool!" Yuugi said. He moved his notebook so Ryou could see it. There was a picture of a young girl listening to her CD player on it. Every detail was nearly perfect, even her hair was shaded for highlights. "That's what my art feels like for me."

Ryou smiled, glad to have someone who had the same passion for their own hobby as he had for his photography.

-

English and French sucked. Ryou can not write a paper to save his life and he only signed up for French because there wasn't anything else to fill up his schedule with. The only good thing was having his friends there with him.

Seto was in their English class, and so was the guy Malik likes. Ryou still hadn't gotten his name, but he probably wouldn't loose any sleep over it. In French, the seat next to Ryou was empty again. Yami was in that class as well. He turned out to be just as nice as his first impression impressed on Ryou.

Then school was over.

As soon as the final bell rang and Ryou realized that he had nothing else keeping him from home, he felt his heart drop. Alone. He'd have to go home to a giant house and be alone. His dad wouldn't be there. There'd be nothing to take pictures of. He had nothing to delay his return to the cold, impersonal prison he'd stay in all by himself for the next few years of his life.

"Ryou, do you want to stop for a burger with us?" Malik grabbed on to Ryou's arm when Jou asked him. Yuugi was standing a few feet away from them holding his back pack.

"Sure."

Friends. Ryou had friends to keep him away from being alone. They'd be there for him.

Friends. How nice.

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I hope you like this chapter!! It's pretty long, neh? And I know that they smile ALL THE TIME, but it's on purpose. I was trying to emphasize the difference between his house and school...... :)

Yobster

P.S.- I AM SO TIRED IT'S NOT EVEN FUNNY.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Okay, so I know that I have a gazillion typos and whatnot, but - and yes, I am crazy, thank you - I am not going to get a beta reader. Part of me wants to but the other part is like, "Meh, we got this". And if my typos bother you that much then I'm sorry. But they just don't get to me. I like them, sometimes. :P

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh it'd be prettier.

**A/N:** And sorry this chapter is a little late, but I have too many ideas for this story. I've been thinking about it all the time! I can't decide which path to take, but I think I'm going to go the right way. Please enjoy!

**Beautiful Places Have Beautiful Faces**

Ryou sighed as he swallowed another large gulp of his energy drink. It wasn't very often that he bothered drinking bat poop, but today was an emergency. Last night he'd only gotten forty-five minutes of sleep at the most.

It was pretty hard to sleep when all of his dreams were of the mondo house he was living in opening up and swallowing him whole. It took him five hours to get into the right position on his new bed, and then every time he shut his eyes the house got angry about him being inside of it.

He was the only disturbance to an otherwise silent masterpiece. That's what his house really was after all. Artwork.

Most certainly not a place where one should live. Would anyone try to live in the Mona Lisa, or David? Ryou didn't think so.

He sighed again and gulped some more of his drink. It was going to be a long day.

"Dude, you look terrible." Ryou looked up and smiled sarcastically.

"Thank you, Jou. That's exactly what I wanted to hear."

"Well, what was I supposed to say?"

"You could have lied."

"Oh," Jou smiled brightly. "You're smokin' hot today, Ryou!"

Ryou whimpered and put his head down on his desk. A very long day, indeed.

"Jou, what did we tell you about bothering people? Especially the ones who hang out with us." Yuugi and Malik walked to their seats and sat down. Malik was berating Jou while Yuugi stared at his white haired friend nervously. He was worried about the boy's appearance.

Ryou had faded gray jeans on with a whole in the right knee, a yellow tee-shirt and his black zip-up hoodie on. But that wasn't really what worried Yuugi.

He was sad that his friend was so beaten up by this new life that he couldn't get matching shoes on.

Ryou had a red converse on his right foot and a construction boot on the other. This puzzled Yuugi because Ryou seemed too young to have a construction boot. That was more of an adult shoe, the kind his dad should have been wearing.

Ryou was only sixteen. He shouldn't be so worn out that he'd be wearing his fathers shoes yet.

"Rough night, Ryou?" Yuugi asked. Ryou nodded with his head still on the desk. Yuugi put a comforting hand on the boy's back and rubbed it soothingly.

"Man, what did you do after we went out for burgers?" Jou asked, ever the man of subtlety. Malik tilted his head in a question.

Ryou lifted his head off his desk and put it in his hand.

"I didn't sleep at all. I'm not used to being here yet, I guess." Malik reached around Ryou, seemingly for a hug, but he only grabbed the boy's hood and pulled it up.

"Then you are going to want to wear this. For now, anyway. Most teachers don't have a problem with it. And the History teacher isn't here to yell at you for it today, either!" Jou nodded in agreement and Ryou didn't argue. He didn't honestly care at this point, he just wanted to go home and to bed.

Any other kid probably would have taken advantage of the fact that they didn't have parents to make them go to school and stayed home, but not Ryou. He kind of cared about how he did in school.

....Okay, not so much school. He cared more about what his new friends would think if he skipped his second day of classes.

"Ryou, why wouldn't you just stay home?" Yuugi asked.

"Oh, of course." Ryou mumbled and plunked his face back to the desk.

A very long, long day.

-

"You're almost there, kid. I'm sure you can make it." Ryou nodded appreciatively at Jou.

"Yeah, and we have lunch next period, so you can sleep then!" Yuugi added.

Ryou smiled at them both in thanks. Considering the amount of time they'd known each other their patience was unexpected.

Right before the bell rang, the classroom door slammed open and a boy stalked into the room, acting like he owned the place. Ryou's tired eyes roamed his body in interest.

He was wearing baggy black jeans and torn up Nike's. He was also wearing a long green tee-shirt with a black hand flipping the bird on the front. His ears were pierced and he obviously wore eyeliner.

But what interested Ryou the most was his long white hair, nearly identical to his own, but somehow exactly opposite. While Ryou made it a point to keep his hair brushed and neat, this boy had wild untamed hair.

"Oh, Bakura. So nice of you to join us." The teacher said and waved him to the open seat next to Ryou. Bakura didn't honor her with a response. "Class, please take out your notes. We'll be looking at a PowerPoint today."

She shut off the lights and Ryou groaned. Of course she'd do this do him. Tempt him with the darkness.

"What's wrong?" Ryou looked up at his new partner who was scooching to the very edge of his chair away from Ryou. He hadn't asked the question sincerely, Ryou realized. Rather in a "Are you going to throw up on me?" kind of way.

"N-nothing. I'm just tired is all." Ryou said, blushing. Bakura made an "O" face and sat normally in his chair.

If sitting on the edge closest to Ryou was normal. Bakura started to whisper to the smaller boy.

"What's your name?" He asked. Ryou sat up slightly so to answer him more accurately.

"I'm Ryou. Who are you?" Ryou tilted his head a little to show curiosity. His voice was coming out in monotone since he hadn't slept for nearly twenty-four hours.

"I'm Bakura." But the boy wasn't very interested in his own answers so much as asking Ryou questions. "When did you start?"

"Yesterday. You weren't here, though." Bakura smirked at the implied question.

"Yeah, I skipped to go downtown for the day. I just need to get away from these posers every once in a while, you know?" Ryou furrowed his brow.

"The friends I've made aren't posers." He said in defense of his new peops. They were anything but posers, honestly.

Bakura's eyebrows shot up for a second before satisfaction settled on his face.

"Good." He said.

And that was the end of their conversation.

Thankfully, the lunch bell rang not too long after that. Ryou walked to the table he'd sat at yesterday with his friends with Jou and Yuugi. Malik was already sitting there waiting for them.

"So, how's life treating you today Ryou?" Malik inquired. Ryou shrugged.

"I met the kid everyone confused me for yesterday. He's weird." And strangely attractive, he thought to himself.

"Yeah, Bakura isn't all there sometimes. He's way beyond all this high school drama." Malik spoke practically admiringly of Bakura. Ryou shook his head.

"That's not what it seemed like to me. He seemed like a complete stoner." Jou barked a laugh and shook his head.

"That's because he is, Ryou." Yuugi started an argument with Jou over that. He didn't know for sure if Bakura was a stoner and he shouldn't judge people before he got to know them.

"Exactly." The four looked up to see Yami put his hands on Yuugi's shoulders. Yuugi blushed and got suddenly silent.

"What exactly?" Jou asked. Yami shrugged.

"Whatever Yuugi was saying." Malik smiled at the obvious adoration in Yami's voice as it flew over Yuugi's head. Which really is quite amazing. You'd think it would get stuck in his hair and soak into his cranium, but no. It just flew right by.

"Oh, get a room, would you?" Yami rolled his eyes and sat down next to Yuugi on the bench when the new comer spoke.

Bakura sat down next to Ryou looking at Yami with a mixture of amusement and disdain on his face.

"Up yours, Bakura." Yami glared.

Ryou had basically given up all hope of sleeping this period and instead turned to his lab partner.

"And pray tell, what brings you here?"

Bakura motioned to the others at the table and then at the apple in front of him.

"Lunch."

The rest of the period was filled with obvious attempts at pick-up lines from Bakura to Ryou, Ryou shutting him down every time and every time getting a roar of laughter from his friends. None of whom overlooked the fact that as soon as Bakura showed up, Ryou's stamina miraculously rebooted.

Once, when Ryou was looking at Bakura to tell him again, "No, he was not a parking ticket and he did not have fine written all over him" it was high noon. The sun was directly overhead, eliminating nearly every shadow that had been on Bakura's face and drowning it in light. Such a complete contrast to the image to boy usually portrayed that Ryou wanted to capture it forever.

However, before Ryou could reach for his camera he came to his senses and verbally bitch slapped Bakura for not leaving him alone.

-

English was the same as ever, only worse. Their essay on the Great Gatsby was due and Ryou had never even read the book, let alone written a paper on it. So he was practically failing one of the only necessary classes of the year on his second day of school. Wonderful.

French was terrible. Bakura sat next to him and attempted to pick him up in a foreign language. The really bad part was Ryou could feel himself beginning to weaken. And he knew it was only a game to Bakura. Such a rebel could never honestly tie himself down to Ryou, especially when he was obviously messing with him.

How terrible, Ryou thought. Not even two hours and Bakura already had him weak in the knees.

This was really Ryou's first crush, though. He'd never spent this much time with other people before. Usually he was only looking at them from behind his camera lens. From the place where they couldn't touch him, or hurt him, or love him. The only place he was really safe from the rest of the world.

Bakura, on the other hand, was ready to try anything. Ready to take the world head on. Ryou envied him of that.

The final bell rang in the middle of Bakura's hundredth pick up line.

"Voulez-vous- ah damn." He stood up and pulled Ryou into an awkward, rough hug. "I guess we'll continue this tomorrow."

Ryou blushed at the warmth that surrounded him. It radiated off of Bakura as if the light that had captured him at lunch never left, but rather was absorbed into him. Almost like Bakura sucked in all the light he could to counteract an inner darkness that no one could ever explain.

"Uh, Ryou? Bakura let go about a century ago. We should probably head out." Jou said. Malik smirked behind him and Yuugi looked worriedly again at his friend.

"Oh, right. Sorry."

The four boys walked outside together, into the crisp November air.

"Are you going to go out with us again, Ryou?" Yuugi asked with a hopeful smile. Ryou smiled back, only apologetically.

"I think I need to head home. I haven't been spending too much time there and I think that's why I couldn't sleep. I've just got to get used to it, I guess." Yuugi nodded understandingly, but took out his cell phone.

"Here's my number in case you need to talk. I know how stressful moving can be, so call anytime." Ryou smiled and plugged the number into his phone.

"Thank you so much Yuugi. You're exactly the friend I need to get me through." Yuugi's smile grew ten times and he said goodbye one final time before running off to join Jou and Malik. Ryou waved to them and then walked home himself.

-

In the front yard of a mansion stood a lone boy with flowing white hair and a camera to his face. He was facing the front of the house. Just standing. Passerby would think he was waiting for the house to throw on a coconut bra and do the hula. But he wasn't.

He was trying to see something good. Ryou moved his camera all around and couldn't see anything but beauty. The house was gorgeous, nearly perfect. But Ryou wasn't looking for scenery.

He was looking for a sign of humanity. Something raw that might give him comfort. Anything showing this house had at one time been more than that. That maybe it had been an actual home. A crack, or a brick out of place. Maybe some bird poop on the window, anything would be fine.

But as hard as he tried, Ryou couldn't find anything. All he saw was beauty. No sign of life or happiness.

Then Ryou turned to the street. He could see the top of his school peaking over the pine trees and smiled. He focused the camera on the tower building of the Main Office and clicked twice. The way the light reflected on the pine trees gave them the impression of bowing down to the school building. The only place Ryou can find life and happiness in this hell hole.

The first truly beautiful place he'd been to in a long time.

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Sorry it isn't too long, but it's pretty much a transitional chapter. Necessary, but a tad bit dry. But isn't Bakura a fruit cup? He's completely nuts, which is exactly what he needs to be. :P

Please review if you love it or hate it or just want to say hi! Thanks!

Yobster


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Finally up with a new chapter, lol. Please enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I wish…

**You Can Sit Beside Me  
**

Have you ever heard the expression, "always a bridesmaid, never a bride"? Well that's what Ryou thought of whenever he saw Seto with his supposed girlfriend. Tea was not the brightest (or most attractive) bulb on the tree, but she was the head cheerleader and therefore a fitting match for the most popular boy in school.

However, the bridesmaid saying had nothing to do with Tea, exactly. Ryou thought of this quote more because of his new friend Jou. Jou secretly loved Seto, any moron could see that. But Seto never really saw Jou as anything more than a plaything of sorts. Someone to bother and aggravate into oblivion. Ryou felt for his friend, he really did. After all, he was in a nearly identical situation with Bakura.

Maybe it's another saying he's thinking of. "Just friends".

"What is it that they said in the movie? The one with Hillary Duff, remember?" Yuugi raised this question one afternoon while they were sitting at lunch watching Seto and Tea talking to each other. Jou sighed and shrugged. It was Malik that answered.

"People like those two are genetically programmed to be together." He said. "It's from A Cinderella Story. One of my favorites."

Ryou sighed this time, shaking his head. That was so true.

He wondered who Bakura was programmed to be with…

"Wow. You're a sad bunch of little girls, the lot of you." The four of them turned at the sound of the newcomer's voice. Bakura had jumped on the table and was wagging his finger at them. "What is this, the Lonely Hearts Club? Come on, already. We're in the prime of our youth, and we'll only be young once!"

"That's another great movie." Ryou said. Yuugi nodded.

"Seriously. Did you each trade in your balls for tits?" Marik chuckled at his friend's remark and jumped onto the table with him.

"I guess it just comes with the territory, Bakura. We are all flaming homosexuals, after all." They all stared at him. "Oh, don't even deny it."

"I'm not," Ryou said. "I just didn't think it was that obvious."

Bakura smirked at him.

"You guys are sitting here mourning your nonexistent love lives. It's pretty obvious." He then sat down on the table in front of Ryou, making him sit all the way up and glare at the other boy. Bakura planted one foot on either side of Ryou and leaned forward so they were face to face. "I'm gay, but it's not too noticeable. Want to know how?"

Ryou nodded, unable to speak. His mouth was dry and he didn't think the blood rushing to his cheeks would ever go back.

"I'm a man. I act like a man." Bakura sat up and beat his fists on his chest. Ryou shook his head and felt his good sense coming back.

"That's what gorillas do, smartass. Are you a primate now?"

Bakura narrowed his eyes.

"Ooh, shut down by the new kid. Again." Yami laughed and sat next to his favorite member of the group. Yuugi smiled at the close proximity and ducked his head slightly.

It was then Ryou decided to stop mulling about with a broken heart and become an active member of the world for a moment. He used Bakura's knees to stand up, meaning he was close enough to Bakura to make the other boy lean back in surprise. Then he put one foot on the bench and the other on the table to stand up next to Marik, who had been watching Malik this entire time.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," he began, glancing around to his friends who surrounded the table, smiling at them. They all looked at him as if he'd grown several new heads, interested, yet terrified. "I invite you to come one, come all, and bear witness to this magnificent creature. From day to day he fools you all into believing he is only a human. Albeit, a very attractive, very alluring one. But a human none the less. Well, I am here to inform you that he is not, actually one of us at all. But rather, a magnificent beast."

With a flourish of his hand, Ryou brought Bakura back up to the table. The other had already caught on to his show and started growling and slashing at the others. Ryou laughed and got out an invisible chair and whip.

"Down, down!" He shouted. The others were slowly catching on, save for Malik of course, and beginning to laugh. Yuugi was already near hysterics.

"You can't tame me." Bakura growled, charging at Ryou. He grabbed the smaller boy and spun him around. "I am the Beast-Man. Fear me!"

Ryou laughed again as he was spun around, looking at all of his friends happy faces. Finally, Bakura stopped and set Ryou on his feet, still holding onto his waist so the other didn't fall from being dizzy.

"You guys are crazy. Literally insane. And weird, too." Malik said. Marik nodded in agreement, as did Yuugi.

"And yet you were laughing, weren't you?" Bakura helped Ryou down to his seat, then stood up straight again. "This is my biggest problem with society. No one can let go and just be weird if that's what it takes to be happy. Ryou, you did wonderfully. You're beautiful. But, dear friends, define crazy. Define weird. Can you even define what it is we are not that makes us abnormal?"

Yuugi leaned over to Ryou and smiled.

"I love when he gets like this; it makes me think of Jack Sparrow." Ryou didn't even respond. His eyes were fixed on Bakura. The light was dimmed today thanks to the storm clouds that were biding their time, waiting till it was the most inopportune moment for everyone to strike with their rain. Still, the sun's rays found Bakura. They acted as a spotlight to his monologue. It was impossible for anyone to look away.

Let alone someone who was falling in love.

"We've got to just live, don't you think? Live in the moment. Become a Beast Man if we want, or a Ringmaster. Hell, even a pretty ballerina if that's what floats your boat." When he said this, Bakura put his arms up and twirled. "I'd even back piracy as an honorable profession if it meant being free, savvy?"

With that he jumped down and bowed. The bell rang just as he winked at Ryou.

-

The entire lunch incident left Ryou with plenty to think about during his Photography and English classes. What had come over him? He was never the type to jump on a table before. Granted he'd never had people to jump on a table with, but still. Did Bakura really have that much of an effect on Ryou? Or was it just time for him to finally come out of his shell?

"Ryou? Come on! It's time for French class." Yuugi said pulling on his friend's arm.

They made it all the way to the sixth floor, where they have French class, when Bakura stepped out from a doorway and snatched Ryou.

"You guys go ahead, we have other plans." Yami shrugged and pulled Yuugi to the classroom. The shortest member of their group just waved goodbye to his friend.

Ryou let out a puff of aggravation.

"Where exactly are we going?" Bakura chuckled darkly.

"You'll see."

-

Yami was having fun staring at his aibou. They were working on French activities together and Yuugi was trying to work out the oh-so-impossible French 'r'.

"It's in the back of the throat," The teacher instructed. "You're rolling it as if you're speaking Spanish. Pas bon."

Yuugi sighed and nodded as the teacher left to help another student. Yami laughed at the frustration on his partner's face. When Yuugi turned to him that frustration changed to a cry for help.

"It's not as easy as you would think. I just can't get the hang of it." Once again Yami found himself marveling at how quickly Yuugi could change his facial expressions. Now he was looking down at the desk in defeat. Yami shook his head and put a finger under Yuugi's chin to lift the other's face to him.

"Je t'adore," he said with perfect fluency. If Yami's finger hadn't been under his jaw, it would have dropped. Yami smirked at the expression now on Yuugi's face. Surprised. Not unhappy.

The bell rang then, signaling the end of the day. Yuugi still couldn't move. Yami smiled at him.

"See? It's not hard at all." _Or at least from what you can see, it isn't._ Yami then stood up and held a hand out to Yuugi, who took it. "Would you like to join me for dinner? I'm probably going to go out for sushi alone, no one is home tonight. I'd enjoy the company."

Yuugi finally nodded, the best response he could have given in his present state, and followed Yami out. He left his other friends standing in the classroom in shock.

Well, not really shock…

"Pay up." Malik held out a hand to Marik and Jou, looking for his winnings. "It's not Spring Break yet."

The other two sighed and pulled tens out of their pockets.

"I was sure neither of them would get the courage until graduation." Marik said as they walked out.

"Hey, at least Ryou and Bakura are faster workers." Jou remarked. "They're already skipping together."

Once they were outside the school, Jou jumped in front and spun to face his friends.

"Are you still suffering from Random Fits of Hyper?" Marik asked. Jou shook his head sporadically.

"Nope. But what about you two?" They stopped. "When will you be dating, officially?"

"What are you talking about?" Malik backed up a little until he hit Marik. "We aren't dating."

"Mmhm." Jou shrugged and walked off. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

The two blonds left over looked at each other, but didn't say anything. They simply stood there for a moment, staring at each other until Malik finally said goodbye. Then they left for their own houses, probably and undoubtedly dreaming about who they want to be with tonight.

-

Ryou was so lost.

It occurred to him while on this outing with Bakura that he had never taken the time to get to know this place he would be stuck in for the rest of his years as an adolescent.

That could have to do with the fact that he hadn't been here but a week, he just wasn't quite sure.

"Really now, Bakura, I'm starting to worry that you are taking me to a dark alley and you're just going to leave me there and…Bakura?" Ryou looked around after his small rant, suddenly aware of the lack of Bakura around him. "Where are you?"

"Right here." Ryou squeaked when, for the second time, Bakura jumped out of nowhere and scared him. "Haha, you sound like a girl."

"S-shut up."

There wasn't very much around the street they were standing on. A few old apartment buildings, some homeless people, and a staircase leading down into a building where colored smoke was floating out onto the street.

Ryou wasn't really surprised when Bakura led them there.

"Is this some sort of magic herb store?"

Bakura rolled his eyes and put his hands on Ryou's back to lead the other down the stairs.

"No, this is Duke's place." When they opened the door, a small bell rang and Ryou was immediately hit with the scent of citrus and chocolate. Not exactly what he was expecting. Neither was the fuzzy carpet or the long drapes that hung down on the windowless walls, and some from the ceiling in the middle of the room. All of these decorations were some shade of red. There was a small stage with a microphone sitting in the back and a long bar on the closest adjacent wall to the door. The red armchairs and sofas invited Ryou to sit down and drift off to a well needed sleep.

"Well, look who it is." Ryou turned as a kid not much older than they were sauntered towards them from the bar. He was the only other person in there besides them. His long black ponytail was held in by a red band and his bright green eyes pierced Ryou as if they literally went right through him.

"Hey Duke," Bakura responded. He put an arm around Ryou's shoulders. "This is Ryou. He goes to school with me and just moved to town."

Duke nodded and shook Ryou's hand.

"You're parents aren't around much then?" Ryou's eyes widened and he found himself nodding in time with Duke.

"Well, my mom died a while ago. And my dad just left me here for an indefinite amount of time, I guess." Duke smiled sadly.

"I figured. Bakura doesn't usually bring people here with him unless they've got something special about them. And that hardly ever happens in a…let's say, picturesque, family, you know?"

Ryou nodded again. He did know, actually.

"Anyway, do you mind if we hang out here for a while? Maybe get something to drink?" Duke gestured to the bar.

"Of course not. The place is all yours, as per usual. I don't even know if I'm going to open it up tonight. I'm feeling kind of worn out. You can lock up, right?"

Ryou had the feeling that Duke was not, in fact, worn out. The smirk on his face betrayed his true intentions.

"Yeah, sure." Ryou looked at Bakura.

_God, I'm so stupid, _he thought_. Of course that's what he wanted. Somewhere without anyone around for just the two of us. But it had to be somewhere that he knew I'd be comfortable, which isn't my house and isn't his house... _

Ryou bit his bottom lip after saying goodbye to Duke. He hadn't felt so embarrassed before, so usable. He just wanted to evaporate, there wasn't a point to being in this stupid town really. At least not in this stupid restaurant.

"I didn't know he was going to do that." Ryou turned to Bakura, who was staring at him apologetically. "I have no intention of…deflowering you…or anything. I just wanted to show you this place, I thought you could use it."

Ryou shrugged. Were he in a better mood he would have found something amusing about Bakura's use of the word 'deflowering', but honestly he was not in the mood to laugh at anything.

"It's alright."

That's what he said anyway. It was actually not alright at all.

"No, it's not." Ryou's eyebrows went up. Was Bakura reading his mind? "He likes to act all-knowing and mature but he just graduated last year. This place was left to him by his older brother that died. He's more like a mom than anyone I know. If you have any problems, he can take care of them. Or at least, take care of you until you can handle the world on your own."

Bakura was up at the bar now, talking and mixing drinks at the same time. They would no doubt be buzzed before dark and Ryou couldn't say he was complaining. It would be nice to have something to distract him.

"I wish I had someone like that. My dad was more of a "fix it yourself" type." While they were talking, Ryou pulled out his camera. He showed it to Bakura. "He did give me one thing though. This camera was the last gift my parents bought for me together. I guess, this could be like my Duke. Whenever I'm sad, I use this to pull me back up."

He put the camera up to his face and immediately felt more comfortable. Bakura looked at the camera as if it wasn't even there. Like he was looking directly at Ryou. That was when he snapped the photo.

"That's my music," Bakura said when Ryou pulled the camera away from his face. He put a glass on a napkin next to Ryou and continued to talk. "I've been playing the guitar and singing since I could walk. It just carries me away."

Ryou smiled at Bakura. He felt somewhat like the day that he found out Yuugi was into art. He loved finding others with their own vices, the kind that defined them. Art worked for Yuugi because he was always observing others and marking down everything about them so that he could help them. Bakura was a musician, someone who could take anything in the world and turn it into something that people want to hear and listen to and believe in.

And Ryou took pictures so that he could capture every moment that means something to him, or anyone. He can manipulate the light and use it to turn anything into a beautiful picture meant for memories.

"I'd love to hear you play."

Bakura smirked at the proposal. He then walked Ryou over to the stage and sat him down in one of the arm chairs that was right in front of it. He pulled a stool and a guitar onto stage. When he spoke, he was looking at Ryou and holding the mic.

"Any suggestions?" Ryou smiled again and shrugged.

"Whatever you're feeling." Bakura smiled this time and nodded.

"Okay, you want to know what I'm feeling?"

Strumming the guitar, Bakura began to sing…

_Here's another pity, and there's another chance_

_Try to learn a lesson, but you can't…_

_You can sit beside me when the world comes down_

_-_

_-_

_-_

_-_

I hope it was good! I liked this chapter a lot. The song is Mona Lisa by the All-American Rejects. I really love this song and you should look it up! It's perfect, it totally defines Ryou and Bakura. I didn't type all the lyrics, just the first two and the last one.

So Happy 2010! I'll update soon again (i hope)!

Love, Yobster


	5. Chapter 5

**Note:** Hey everyone! Happy Easter and Spring! I've got about two months left of high school, so I'm kind of super busy at the moment. :/ This means fewer updates. But I'm really trying! I spent my vacation working on this (and two scholarship essays and an english essay...) so please enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** Well, actually I got all rights to Yu-Gi-Oh in my Easter basket this year! So suck it!

**A Family Stranger Than Ours**

"Hey Dad."

"Hey pal! How's it going?"

"It's okay. It's been raining a lot."

"Oh, that's great! You love to take pictures of the rain."

"I can't take pictures right now. My wrist is broken."

"Aw, that's too bad. Have you been keeping up with your school work?"

"I've been trying to. But Dad, I'm so de-"

"You make sure to keep straight A's so you get into that school. That's the reason you're there, you know."

"Yeah Dad, I know."

"Good. Well, I'll talk to you soon pal! Hopefully in another week or two. I'm glad you're okay! Bye!"

"I'm not okay!"

But he was talking to a buzz tone.

-------

Not very many people ever saw past the sweet, shy, docile photographer guise of Ryou Shiozu. He was usually very successful at pretending nothing was wrong. When you grew up with a dad that really didn't care if anything actually _was_ wrong, you have to learn how to do stuff like that.

Unfortunately for Ryou, Bakura was one of those people that could always see past the bullshit. He knew right away that Ryou was very upset on Monday when they went to school.

First of all, Ryou's smile didn't reach his eyes when he "laughed" because Bakura was dancing like a fool before homeroom.

Second, Ryou was spacing out in Biology and Bakura had to be the one that took notes. Admittedly Ryou was always spacing out, but it had never been to the point where Bakura had to actually pay attention in class.

And finally, the third and biggest sign that Ryou was upset: he didn't have his camera.

That's right. Ryou forgot his camera at home. Bakura was apparently the only one to have noticed, because the rest of their friends were acting as if nothing was wrong. As if the world hadn't just slipped into a very dark place. Like it wasn't about to end and they were all going to hell because Ryou had disappointed Kami so much that he went into a deep depression and decided no human was worthy enough to go to heaven.

….So maybe Bakura was being dramatic. But it was a very unnerving thing to have someone that just told him he practically lives behind his camera on Friday to be without said camera on Monday.

Especially when that photographer was slowly but surely stealing Bakura's heart. That just made him want to put a real smile on Ryou's face even more.

Having contemplated this all morning, Bakura decided that he was going to get that smile by the end of the day if it was the last thing he ever did. He just needed the best plan ever to save Ryou from depression and despair and make him laugh that angel laugh of his.

Man, Bakura really needed to stop watching those soap operas when he skipped school. Daytime television always made him more dramatic.

-

"What do you think, Ryou? It sounds like fun!" Yuugi smiled at his white-haired friend in the most convincing way he could. Ryou was acting really weird today and Yuugi thought that maybe a trip to the arcade would cheer him up. So he invited all of his friends out after school to go to the arcade down town; they bought all of their games from Yuugi's Grandpa, so Yuugi and all of his friends get to play for free.

"It really does sound like a good time, Yuugi." Ryou returned Yuugi's smile, although very less enthusiastically. "I just don't know if I'm up for it today. I'm feeling sick."

Bakura forced himself not to roll his eyes. They were sitting in the cafeteria since it was raining today and it took everything he had not to stand up and shake Ryou to get him to stop lying and just tell his friends what was wrong.

"Aw, what's wrong? Is it the stomach flu?"

"I don't think so. I'm pretty sure it's just a cold."

_It's depression. We're sixteen, we all have it._

Bakura put his head on his hand and stared at Ryou. No one else was paying attention to this conversation. Yami was fighting with Kaiba about something all the way across the lunch room. Naturally, Jou was standing right with him "backing Yami up" (or just standing as close to Kaiba as he could). Marik and Malik were sitting with them, but they were having a staring contest. It was very intense and obviously they couldn't look at anything else while staring at each other.

So that left Bakura to bare the pain of this conversation on his own. And it was very painful.

Did you ever like someone so much that even when you saw everything that was wrong with them, you still wanted to be with them?

Bakura never had.

Ever.

So he really had no idea as to what he should do to help Ryou.

But Yuugi was tanking miserably, so he had to step in with something.

"Why don't we all go to your house then?"

Ryou looked up at Bakura surprised. He hadn't been aware that anyone was listening to him and Yuugi, let alone partaking in their conversation. Yuugi, however, smiled widely at Bakura's suggestion.

"Yeah, Ryou! I want to see this "ugly masterpiece" you keep talking about." He widened his eyes to full puppy dog force and smiled cutely. "Maybe I could even draw it…"

Ryou sighed. "But I really don't want to get you all sick…"

"Nonsense." Bakura slung an arm around Ryou who blushed fiercely and started breathing a little heavier. "We're young and healthy. We'll be fine."

"O-Okay." Ryou stuttered. He was finding it harder and harder to ever say no to Bakura. Even when all he wanted to do today was sit alone and watch sappy love/family shows. The things he wanted but had never really had. Sooner or later he'd always hoped he would find someone to love him and become like the family his dad never was.

Bakura was really starting to look like his last hope.

"Awesome. Hey, Tweedles Dee and Dumm." Malik and Marik looked up at these names not realizing that they'd actually been insulted, which made Bakura laugh a little. "We're going to Ryou's house today after school."

"Great! I'll bring my stink bombs." Malik promptly slapped Marik upside the head. "Ow!"

"Or _not._ I will not allow you to stink up my friend's house."

"Better not have him come at all then." Jou smirked as he sat down in one of the empty seats at the table. Yami chuckled and nodded in agreement. Marik made some sad comeback to try and redeem himself, but it only made everyone laugh at him until the bell rang. When it did and everyone left for their classes, Ryou felt himself smiling a little more genuinely. He didn't feel as bad about his life at the moment, which is really a gift considering what had happened with his dad on the phone last night.

Nothing. Nothing happened. His dad had been calling him once every other week to seem like the parental type, speaking to Ryou for about sixty seconds, and no matter what lies he told him (this week it had been that his wrist was broken, two weeks ago he told him he was a stripper), nothing ever got through to his dad.

Out of sight, out of mind. Once Ryou's dad left, he didn't have to be a good dad anymore. Which obviously left Ryou lonely and depressed. Didn't anyone want to be with him?

Bakura caught Ryou's eye and winked at him. Ryou smiled to himself as he walked to class with Yuugi.

Maybe someone did...

He could always hope, right?

-

After school the rain was worse than it had been all day. And none of them had a driver's license or a car.

So you can imagine how much fun they had running through the streets to Ryou's house…

"Hey! Don't splash me!"

"You're already soaked, dude. What's the difference?"

"The rain water from the sky isn't nasty muck from the road."

"Or is it?"

"…You're so freaking weird."

"We're here!"

"Oh, thank Kami. Let's go inside now."

Ryou pulled a big, old-fashioned key out of his backpack and fixed it in the lock. For a second he stared at the door, convinced that it was staring back at him, daring him to bring fresh meat into the prison it guarded. He could already feel the cold from the stone walls reaching out and gripping him tightly, ready to pull him in and trap him inside the masterpiece. Never to be part of a family or loved, but always to be stared at and remembered like a photograph.

"Ryou, come on, pal!" Jou stood next to him with his jacket over his eyes. He looked at Ryou slightly worried, but mostly annoyed that he was still getting soaked. The kind of look a parent would give to their child if they didn't want to be mean but really did want to push the kid away and turn the key themselves.

_Pal…_

"Right. Sorry." Ryou turned the key and nervously opened the door. Everyone but Jou pushed past him and ran into the dry house. Jou put a hand on Ryou's shoulder and looked him in the eyes.

"Is there anything you need to talk about?" He asked. Ryou shook his head, but he had to fight the tears collecting behind his eyes. Jou seemed genuinely concerned. Not something he was used to seeing aimed at him.

"I'm fine Jou. But thank you." He put his arm across Jou's back and Jou put his around Ryou's shoulders. They walked into the house together like that. Ryou didn't feel so cold any more.

"Wow, Ryou. You were definitely right when you talked about this place." Malik wiped a finger on one of the statues that stood in the foyer. No dust was on his skin. "It's seriously lacking that whole 'human' vibe."

Ryou gave the appropriate 'I told you so' and asked everyone to follow him upstairs for dry clothes. They put their rain soaked ones in the giant bathroom before following Ryou – all in their underwear and laughing at Malik for his tightie whities – back to his bedroom and pulled any clothes they could find to fit them out of the closet and drawers.

They were all distracted from getting dress by Yami's insane laughter. He was holding one of Ryou's shirts up in front of him and twirling around.

"Do you really 'Wuv Hugz', Ryou?" He asked. The shirt was bright pink and had a teddy bear on it with a sign that did indeed say, 'I Wuv Hugz'.

"S-Shut up, Yami!" Ryou tried to grab the shirt from him, but Yami was too quick. He ducked and pulled the shirt over his own head before running over to Yuugi and wrapping his arms around him from behind.

"I Wuv Hugz from_ you_, Yuugi," He said smiling. Yuugi blushed very deeply and giggled a little.

"I wuv hugz from you too, Yami."

Malik swooned and clapped as the rest of them gagged. Well, really it was only Bakura gagging. It was just loud enough that it seemed like more than one person. Marik wasn't really paying attention because Malik had yet to put on a shirt and was very distracting to him.

"Don't move." Ryou shouted as he dashed out the door. He came back moments later with his camera.

_Finally, _Bakura thought. He had been really worried for a while there. Ryou smiled at his friends and snapped the photo before they could pose. Yuugi still had a blush on his face and Yami had been sticking his tongue out at Jou when the camera snapped, so it was very silly indeed.

"You guys are so cute!" Malik squeaked. Bakura rolled his eyes and walked over to the doorway where Ryou stood. The other five boys were standing near the bed and talking about what kind of a couple Yami and Yuugi would be.

"Yami is definitely going to be overprotective."

"Oh yeah. And Yuug is going to be the jealous type."

"What? Nu-uh."

"Totally. Can't you see his once cute puppy dog eyes turning into lasers when anyone even thinks about touching his Yami?"

"…Definitely."

"Come on, guys!"

Ryou laughed and leaned onto Bakura as they watched their friends together. Bakura leaned in to whisper into Ryou's ear.

"So you're not depressed anymore, then?"

Ryou found himself once again staring in surprise at Bakura that day. His grip on his camera tightened slightly and his lips twitched. He was a little annoyed that Bakura could read him like that.

But wasn't that a good thing?

"No, I guess not." He looked over to see Marik poking Yami's stomach enthusiastically and Yami trying not to giggle like the Pillsbury Dough Boy and failing miserably, which made everyone else laugh too. "It's really hard to be with you guys around."

"Good. I don't want you to be sad, Ryou."

Bakura squeezed Ryou's shoulders in a hug and then went to join the rest of their crew in tickling Yami. Ryou held his camera up and snapped what he was sure would be one of his favorite pictures ever. His bedroom finally had smiles in it. A good memory in an otherwise terrible place.

Ryou wondered if this – a bunch of precious people laughing together for no real reason – could be a family.

"Hey, come here, photographer!" Malik stole Ryou's camera from him and pointed it at his friend. "Smile."

Ryou knows he didn't smile in that picture. He knows that he looked surprised and scared. But when he thinks about it, that's exactly how he would have wanted it to look. Because that's what he was feeling. Even more than depression and loneliness, Ryou was terrified of this new world.

The world in front of the camera.

That was the first ever picture of Ryou. And the entire afternoon was full of pictures of him and his friends. This was the first time he ever stepped out from behind the camera and smiled.

Because he finally had reasons to be happy.

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:D Heeey! I hope you all liked this chapter. I did. I think it's good. It's an update right? :P

Anyhoo, I'm going to try to update soon, but I am really really busy. Sorry! Please stick with me and review!

By the way, the shirt thing with the I WUV HUGZ is from Supernatural. Everyone watch it! (Including you, Kagimine!)

Bye Bye!

~Yobster


	6. Chapter 6

TEN THOUSAND YEAAAARS WILL GIVE YA SUCH A CRICK IN THE NECK!

a.k.a.- I'm sorry for literally taking three years to update. I just recently got out of that phase where I thought that I had to be a grown up and am now realizing that growing up sucks and there is absolutely no reason that I can't balance what I love to do with being part of the adult world.

Enjoy!

* * *

After adorning Ryou's clothes, the group was gathered in his living room for a quiet evening of watching movies and general nonsense.

Well, sort of.

"Dude, fuck you. Paul Walker is fifty times more attractive than Cary Elwes."

"Not 1987 Cary Elwes. No one is hotter than 1987 Cary Elwes."

"Jensen Ackles."

"…Okay, almost no one."

Ryou sighed and shook his head. Having his friends around was a medicine to him; they cured his woes just by being their ridiculous selves. He silently regarded them as they continued arguing over which actors were most attractive. He almost couldn't believe just how lucky he was to have such a carefree group of people surrounding him. Most would be upset that they had to wear a variation of old sweatpants that hugged most of their dicks way too tight and some T-shirts with ridiculous sayings on them. But these people…

They could see past that. They saw the important stuff, whether they knew it or not. His friends had accomplished without a camera what he still struggled to with one.

"Ryou!" said boy jumped out of his thoughts and focused his eyes on his friends. Yami, who had been the one calling him, looked highly amused. "We've been asking what your address is. We're ordering pizza."

Yuugi giggled and held his cell phone by the speaker, so the guy on the other end couldn't hear him. No one else seemed to know what was going on either, but once Yami said "pizza", Jou's head snapped to them so quickly it really should have flown off.

"Um, I'm sorry I honestly don't know my address yet." Ryou looked apologetically at his friends. Before they could get too upset about it, Jou took the phone from Yuugi and placed a hand on his friend's forehead to keep the shorter one from reaching it.

"Hello? Dude, Tony what's up!? Yeah, we want the usual, plus an extra large cheese and you should totally grab us a case on the way over. I dunno the address, but it's that huge ass castle looking place by my school. Exactly! Alright, see ya soon."

He hung up the phone and gave it back to Yuugi, who had long since stopped fighting for it and was just standing against Jou's hand in awe. The blonde then noticed that his friends were all staring at him and he shrugged.

"I eat a lot of pizza."

This was the last straw for Ryou. He felt it bubbling up through his esophagus like bile, only instead of the harsh taste your stomach acid offers it was a sweet, mirthy experience. Bakura looked at him much as he had the first time they met – unsure whether being close to Ryou was a good idea as it seemed the boy could lose his lunch any second.

Much to his and everyone else's surprise, Ryou did not vomit.

He laughed.

He laughed as if laughter was water and he had been stranded in the Sahara for years. His eyes watered, overflowing almost immediately. One arm hugged his stomach and the other waved in front of his face to move the air around. He couldn't breathe. He was suffocating and it was the best feeling in the world.

"Good job, asshat. You broke Ryou." Malik pushed Jou who looked torn between his two friends, completely at a loss for what to do.

"I didn't mean it! I'm sorry Ryou!" The sheer panic in his friend's voice knocked Ryou off of the couch and onto the floor, gripping desperately at his gut. His cheeks were sore and red by now, and he could barely make out a litter of giggles from Yuugi, Yami, and Bakura. They seemed to know exactly what was going on.

"He's not broken," said Bakura. He smiled and tugged on the too-tight sweatpants so he could kneel by Ryou. "He's laughing."

Jou's posture relaxed immediately.

"P-p….pizza!" Ryou forced the word from his lips, slowly gaining control of himself. "And hugz. Oh lord, you people."

He sat up and wiped tears from his eyes, smiling brightly at Bakura, who smiled with his mouth closed while shaking his head.

"My people."

* * *

Ryou's magic with a camera continued to bloom over the next few weeks. He had amazing subjects to snap photos of, after all.

He did find himself the star of more than a few pictures, as his friends often stole his camera or used their phones. They loved Ryou for his photography, and as he grew to know them he learned to love them for each of their passions.

Yami loves to cook, and he is amazing in the kitchen. Ryou smiled fondly while looking at his favorite picture of Yami and Yuugi together. _"A chef and an artist,"_ Yami had said. _"I can just see the money rolling in."_ Yuugi had simply rolled his eyes and kissed Yami on the cheek. _"We don't need a lot, dear. As long as I have you."_

Malik, his favorite sufferer of pheromone overdose, was incredibly talented in fashion. He could make his own clothes (and very often did) and always looked amazing. His overzealous nature is very nicely balanced by the boy he was dating-but-not. Marik had an affinity for building things. He worked part-time with a construction company and very much wanted to have his own some day. Of course, a lot of information Ryou had on Marik was from the many times Malik had vented to him. His favorite picture of the pair was actually a collection; three pictures in a row of Malik first looking put off because of Marik's silence, then Marik grabbing his hand, and the last one of Malik beaming at Marik and the quieter boy trying desperately not to show too much happiness on his face.

Ryou pinned the developed photos to the line in his makeshift dark room, which he had placed in one of the many bedrooms of his stupidly big house. He looked down at the next photo and lifted it out of the solution.

Jou was the center of this photo, and it made Ryou's heart ache. They were gathered at a pizzeria by the school where Jou's little sister Serenity attended. Marik and Malik had been unable to join them because of a project, so they were absent from the scene. Bakura was off to the side with only part of his face visible (though he was facing Ryou and looked annoyed about being ignored for the camera once again) and Yami was burying his face in Yuugi's hair while the smaller boy smiled with bliss.

None of them were where Ryou's eyes went. Jou's face was absolutely downtrodden, such a stark contrast to his usual self. He was turned away, but not enough to hide the agony in his eyes. Behind the group and somewhat out of focus, a tall brunette man was sitting with his girlfriend. Seto's gaze seemed trained on the back of Jou's head, though the blonde would never see it.

"Ryou! Are you in that damn dark room again?" The called boy rolled his eyes and pinned Jou's picture.

"You obviously know the answer if you are standing outside the door, Bakura."

Finished with his developments for the day, Ryou wiped his face with his wrist and opened the door to see his favorite white-haired rebel.

"Well I don't want to get another tray to the face, you hellion." Ryou laughed and hugged his friend tight. He was so glad that Bakura was comfortable enough to just walk around his house. Once he filled the halls with his work, Ryou had to admit that he was more comfortable there, too.

"I said I was sorry, Kura." He pulled his ponytail over his shoulder and shrugged. "I was alone in my house and you just came barging in, what did you expect?"

"I expected you to be naked or something. But you were fully clothed and just waving that tray like it was nobody's business." Bakura sipped the pop he had grabbed from Ryou's fridge. Back in November, Bakura's comment would have made Ryou blush like mad. Now he was so used to the naughty thoughts he entertained around Bakura that he could keep his face a normal color. "And I like your hair like that."

Okay, that he wasn't used to.

As they walked down to the kitchen, Ryou was wondering about the compliment from Bakura. Usually, the boy would wink and make stupid comments and be too touchy, but he never actually seriously complimented him. Ryou was convinced that he only wanted to be friends under all the pretend flirting. He filed the compliment into the back of his mind to save for a day when he was particularly upset that he and Bakura would never be together and entered the kitchen with his friend.

"What happened to Venice?" Bakura was supposed to go away with his family for the new year, and now that Ryou thought about it, his friend should have been gone already.

"We decided to not go. Mother wants to be here for her work party. Something about impressing a new boss or whatever."

"Surprise, surprise." Ryou bent into the fridge reaching for leftover food from Yami to heat up for the two of them. "Do you have to go with her?"

He heard a snort behind him and smiled. Ryou had learned quickly of the obnoxious tenacity Bakura's mother had. He was no stranger to a neglectful parent.

"Fuck that." Bakura gladly accepted the plate of food given to him. "Besides, the school is having a thing and I want to be there instead."

Ryou's eyes widened and he almost laughed out of shock.

"What?" Bakura asked defensively around a mouth full of food."They are having an all night dance and food thing in the gym."

Ryou composed himself and took a bite of his own food, nodding.

"I know that, I'm just surprised that you want to go."

Bakura shrugged. He was playing with his food more than eating it now. Some mumbled words fell out of his mouth and journeyed past Ryou's ears before he could hear them. Baffled, he asked Bakura to repeat himself.

"I _said_ I only want to go if you come with me." Ryou would have swallowed if his mouth hadn't gone so dry. "And before you ask, yes I mean romantically."

This only gave Ryou heart palpitations. He couldn't believe he was really hearing this. He had spent the last month convincing himself there was no chance of Bakura wanting to be with him beyond silly flirting, but this was real and he was here and asking.

And Ryou was _scared._

"You want to go on a date with me?" His voice sounded awful and hoarse, even to himself. He had never dreamed of coming this far beyond the lens in such a short amount of time. He never would have believed someone would want to take him out of his shell as Bakura did.

Ryou's eyes shut tight; his stomach threatened to exit via his mouth for real.

"Yes, Ryou." The boy's snapped open when he felt a warm hand on his. "I really do. And I know you do, too."

"Of course," Ryou snapped. Bakura had incredible talent for bringing emotions out of him quickly and powerfully. But just as quickly, Ryou sucked in a breath, unable to get rid of the terror hiding behind his eyes. This was all too real. He desperately wanted his camera, but it was all the way upstairs.

"Then what's the problem?" Bakura was being uncharacteristically patient with him. Ryou believed that deserved an uncharacteristically bold answer.

"I'm terrified." Ryou cursed his voice for cracking and emphasizing his point.

Bakura let go of his hand and stood. He walked the two steps towards Ryou and pulled him into a hug.

"You can't live life behind that damn camera, you know."

Ryou jerked from the comfortable position and allowed anger to push him. Anything to get this fearful hole out of his chest.

"For your information, that _damn camera_ saved me. Maybe we aren't all meant to be as you are, Bakura! Maybe some of us are meant to stay safe and just watch." He felt water on his face before he realized he was crying. "I'm sorry I can't be what you want, but I just can't snap my fingers and step out into the world like that."

It was Bakura's turn to jerk. He stood upright and looked at Ryou with incredulous anger in his eyes.

"Well you don't seem to have a problem with our friends. You are already out of your shell with us, why go back?"

"This is different."

"How?"

"Because it just is!"

"That is _not_ an answer." By this time, Bakura was directly in front of Ryou, his nose almost bumping Ryou's forehead because the shorter boy's head was bent. Bakura used his hand to raise Ryou's face, but did nothing to wipe the tears. He saw Ryou's brown eyes widen as they looked at him. "Tell me, Ryou. Please."

It was the please that did him in. Ryou closed his eyes and sniffled. He tilted his head when Bakura's hand moved from his chin to his cheek, the other grasping his hip. Placing his hands over either of Bakura's, Ryou opened his eyes again. Sadness escaped them and tugged none to gently at Bakura's heart strings.

"My family was happy. I remember stupid picnics and wonderfully boring Sunday afternoons. And then my mom told us she was leaving. She had been happy, but then she just wasn't. My dad was never the same after she left. And then she died…"

Bakura had never heard about Ryou's mother before. He couldn't help but tighten his grip on the boy and stroke his cheek just barely.

"He left on digs all the time. He would disappear for weeks and leave me money for food, never mind that I was only ten. He was miserable and only felt better when he wasn't around me. I took more pictures those years. They just help me. They don't change. Once a picture exists, at least when it's not digital, it is permanent. I know how temporary people are and it scares the shit out of me."

Bakura's fingers flexed away from his palms in frustration, though he did not release Ryou.

"Temporary? Ryou, I want to be around you all the time. I can't sleep or eat or anything since I met you. Hell, I've even been to school every day since you got here! Does that not mean anything?"

Ryou shook his head.

"Then why is this different?" Ryou felt tears once again in his eyes.

"Because this is what changed." He lifted his hands and brushed them against Bakura's face. Tears fell and his voice grew heavy with emotion. "This feeling of never getting enough of you and dreaming of falling asleep next to you and wanting you to always be the one who gets to hold my hand. This left my parents. And my mom couldn't stand being with a man she no longer loved and it changed my life and killed my family. I don't ever want that to happen with you. It's safer to be friends."

Bakura's eyes narrowed sympathetically. He knew very well the pain of parents who weren't in love; he long ago promised himself to never be like his parents. Typical, of course, a sixteen year old vowing to be different than his family. But when your mom and dad are cheating, lying, manipulative bastards, it is a reasonable vow.

"Ryou." He looked down at this boy who had stolen his heart. "I know we are young. I know this may be stupid to say, but I don't ever want to hurt you or change you. I just want you to go to this thing with me. I'll even stand behind the camera with you."

Ryou smiled wide and pushed his hands back in to Bakura's hair.

"You will?" At Bakura's nod, Ryou pulled his head forward and tilted his head so they could kiss each other for the first time. They held a strong embrace, their lips locked. Bakura dropped his jaw to take Ryou's bottom lip between his own, biting it gently and loving the way Ryou's hands tightened in his hair. They kissed once more after Ryou's lip slipped from Bakura's mouth and then pulled away.

Ryou delighted in the weakness in his knees. He couldn't imagine a better first kiss.

"Don't let go of me."

Bakura laughed and tightened his arms around Ryou's waist.

"I can imagine a million different futures for myself, but none of them involve letting go of you."

"If I didn't want you to kiss me again right now, I would so make fun of you for that cheese."

"Oh, whatever."

"N-no come here!" Ryou laughed at the mock hurt on Bakura's face and pulled him closer. He laid his head on Bakura's shoulder and wiped his own face with his sleeve, ridding it of any leftover tears. He sniffled once more before whispering a very quiet "thank you" to Bakura. This crazy, outrageous, confident, beautiful boy had comforted him endlessly.

He was still way out of his element. Scared of life beyond the camera. He wasn't sure if that would ever completely leave him. There would undoubtedly be many days when he just couldn't be anywhere but behind the lens. But if Bakura was willing to stay back there with him, that just didn't seem too bad.

"You're welcome, shutter bug."

* * *

I'm going to say that three years is probably the longest you will ever have to wait for an update from me. Thankfully with this buzz I've got going on, this story is almost finished! There will be three more chapters, updated over the next week or two (probably only one week!). Then this will be all finished and tied off with a beautiful bow. :)

Thank you so much if you've returned to me after three years! And if not, thank you anyway for reading. I greatly appreciate it. :)


	7. Chapter 7

Ryou had never been one for stressing out over school. He was naturally bright and usually used only the minimal amount of time needed to read material and complete assignments. His honors track life was much more his father's choice than his own.

Honestly, school was a rather depressing circumstance for Ryou. He would much rather spend his time photographing the world than trapped for eight hours just reading about it. But he couldn't be completely ungrateful for the education system. After all, it was the reason for his wonderful friends.

Ryou rolled his eyes at himself. With the amount he had been thinking about friendship recently, he was beginning to sound like Tea at a pep rally.

"I would literally rather play dentist with a Nile crocodile." Ryou's attention was drawn to Yami and Jou as they joined the lunch table. Yuugi was with them looking especially annoyed, which was very rare for such a kind person.

"C'mon Yami, please? I'll love you forever." Jou pushed out his bottom lip and clasped his hands together. "If you take this project, I promise to never tell Yuug about that thing with you and Marik-"

"I already know about that, Jou, and I've denied him plenty for it." Yami growled at the memory of his aibou refusing him simply because Marik _once_ mistook him for Malik at a party. "And you really shouldn't force your project on Yami. He has enough on his plate as it is!"

Jou groaned. He threw his head into his hands, clearly exasperated. Yami looked at him with pity, but stood by Yuugi's words. He really had far too much on his schedule to take such a big assignment for his friend, even if the blonde was so desperate.

"Sorry but what project are we talking about?" Ryou questioned. Yami responded as he patted Jou on his back.

"Well next period Jou and I share a Mechanics class. We just talked to the teacher before lunch and he gave us assignments for the next week, which include anything from reassembling an engine to repairing this 1964.5 Mustang one of the other students brought in. Jou got assigned the stang."

Although Ryou really didn't know much about cars, a groan from Jou said that this project did the exact opposite of thrill him.

"Will it be very difficult?" Jou's head snapped up and a look of fierce anger filled his eyes.

"No! I'm the best." He sat up straight and looked over a few tables away to where Kaiba was sitting. "It's just that the stupid car belongs to that stupid dick and I do _not_ want to do anything that could be good for him."

Understanding showed on Ryou's face, but did not last for long. In his opinion, working so closely to something involving Kaiba could work in Jou's favor. Spending some time with someone you're crushing on so badly could give them just the opportunity they need to start something.

"It's not for his benefit, Jou. It's all for you! You want to start your own shop some day and getting a good grade on this project will help you get the start you need." Yuugi, ever the optimist, convinced Jou to at least attempt this project. Speaking of Yuugi, it had been a while since Ryou poked fun at his friend.

"Say, Yuugi?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you ever watch Yami working on cars? What with his shirt off and oil smeared and sweating?"

"I _love_ watching Yami work on cars." Ryou couldn't help but laugh at his friend's bluntness. Yami smirked in Yuugi's direction, loving how he affected his aibou. After a few moments of comfortable silence, Yuugi looked questioningly at his boyfriend. "Where are Bakura, Marik, and Malik?"

"Lunch detention," Yami replied with a laugh. "They thought it would be funny to glue safe sex tips all over the gymnasium before the dance on Friday."

Ryou smiled just slightly, trying not to show his amusement at Bakura's antics. They spent the rest of lunch reading some of the safe sex tips and laughing at just how creative Malik could be. Who knew using a carrot for that could be considered safer?

* * *

There were few things Malik hated more than grown women wearing their twelve year old's T-shirts. Being ignored by Marik was one of them.

Honestly, it wasn't _his_ fault they had detention. There was no reason for Marik to dash off after school and avoid him like the plague.

"Are you going after him?"

Malik turned at Bakura's question and faced his wild-haired counterpart.

"Of course," he sighed. He hated when this happened. He and Marik would flirt and dance around each other for weeks and then right when it seemed to be getting serious, Marik would run away only to come back to him a few days later and be right back to normal. "I mean, I guess. I'm really tired of this, you know?"

Bakura's shrug was a far more ambiguous answer than Malik had been hoping for.

"What, you think this is okay? It's exhausting chasing after someone who obviously doesn't want to be with me and only ever flirts. I don't think I'm so repulsive that he couldn't just date me."

"It's not that, dumbo." Bakura shook his head at his friend, bending it to check his cell phone. Ryou had just texted him asking to go to the mall for their dance outfits together with Yuugi and Jou. "He just doesn't feel good enough. It's something we must learn to deal with in these relationships we so covet."

After responding an affirmative to Ryou, Bakura glanced up to see Malik looking more confused than he usually did. Which was pretty damn confused.

"Take Ryou, for example. He's scared of a relationship because of its instability. He's afraid of not being good enough for me one day, but I still got him to agree to giving it a chance."

Frustration edged into his head when the look on Malik's face clearly stated he was not understanding.

"Marik is afraid he's not good enough for you."

_Dumb blondes._

"That's absurd." Malik scoffed. He walked away from Bakura in the direction of Marik's house, completely disregarding the idea that Marik could ever be scared of anything. Especially of himself.

Bakura just scowled and walked away to find Ryou, grumbling the entire time about his wasted genius.

* * *

Marik lived across the train tracks from the rest of his friends. His house was very small and seemed to be falling apart at the seams. There was chipped paint on the siding and the drain pipe was hanging very precariously off of the roof. Malik hated coming here, not for the appearance of the house, but because every time he stepped foot on this property he was reminded of the dread in Marik's eyes the first time he saw his dear friend's residence.

Before Malik had a chance to knock on the door it swung open to reveal the very person he'd been wishing to see holding a cigarette between his lips. Marik had a pencil behind his ear and apparently forgot to put his shirt back on before answering the door. Malik found it incredibly difficult not to stare, but he did his best.

Of course, his best wasn't always good enough.

"What?"

Malik was startled from his gawking by the harsh tone in the other blonde's voice. It's not that he wasn't used to such a temper, as Marik behaved this way every time he ran away from their relationship. But it still hurt whenever the person he loved spoke to him as if he weren't important.

"Don't "what" me, douche. Why did you run off after school? Are you seriously going to do the whole avoiding me thing again?" Malik crossed his arms and attempted valiantly to withhold the hurt from his voice. Unfortunately it seemed is efforts were in vain, because Marik actually opened the door and stepped out onto the porch with concern in his eyes.

The concern vanished quickly though as he dragged his smoke and blew it away. He shrugged.

"Don't know what you're talking about."

Malik found it particularly difficult to hide the tears this time. He had never really cried in front of anyone before, even Marik, and he certainly did not plan to start today.

"I'm so sick of this, Marik. I don't know why I even bother! You act so different towards me for weeks and we flirt and you hold my hand and it's wonderful and then all of a sudden it's this silent treatment bullshit and I'm so over it!" Malik ignored the fact that some tears had escaped his eyes and that his voice was getting higher. He especially ignored the fact that Marik had flicked his cigarette, because Marik never flicks an unfinished cigarette unless he has something important to say and quite frankly Malik did not want to hear it. "You do realize that I'm not coming back this time, right? I think four years of this back and forth is far more than enough. Good. Bye."

Malik turned sharply on his heel and stalked down the front porch steps. He wiped his nose with the back of his hand, hopelessly willing the hole in his chest to go away. Just as he reached the front gate leading out into a not-too-friendly neighborhood to start his trek home, he heard something he had never heard before.

Marik was calling him back.

"Malik, just stop. Just talk to me." Malik turned slowly, trying to figure out if this new development was good or bad. If Marik wasn't Marik, he would have sworn he saw desperation in his eyes. "Please."

It took less than a second to be back on the porch, but once he did reach it Malik made no effort to stop his tears.

"I'm listening."

Marik looked at a loss. He ran a hand through his wild hair, catching it on the pencil. Angrily he grabbed the stupid utensil and snapped it between his fingers before throwing it forcefully into the yard. He seemed to be struggling for words, which was not very uncommon for Marik as he never talked much anyway.

He had once told Malik that he didn't say much because he didn't feel that what he had to add to conversations was very important. Malik had responded by telling him that he thought everything he said was important.

"You're you." Marik started. "And I'm me."

"Very well spotted," Malik snapped. Marik made a rough noise from the back of his throat and grabbed the shorter boy by the shoulders.

"It's the truth. You are you and you have these fancy clothes and this awesome sister and all of that talent and you want to go far away from here. And I'm me and I have jeans with holes in the crotch that I can't get rid of because we don't have money for new pants because I spend it all on cigarettes and my father is so stubborn about me going to that school when all I want to do is work at the construction site and I don't really care where I end up."

Malik felt overwhelmed by the number of words Marik just spewed out. That plus the closeness of his interest was enough to slow his tears and fog his mind.

"But what does that have to do with you ignoring me?" He asked in an uncharacteristically small voice. Marik sighed in frustration and let go of Malik, who very much missed the contact.

"Everything." He pulled another cigarette out of his back pocket and lit it, breathing the smoke in deeply. "I can't give you all the money you should have or the clothes or the travelling. I can't give you what you want, Malik. What you deserve. You don't want me; I'm just not good enough for you."

If you said to Malik a week ago that Marik was holding back all of these thoughts, he probably would have laughed at you. Marik was too cool to spend so much energy thinking about him. But here was this man he had been in love with confessing to him all of these deep thoughts and Malik had to believe it because it was really happening.

And he was pretty damn mad about it.

"You idiot! I would wear a potato sack every day if it meant you would stop pushing me away because of nonsense. I _do_ want you. I want _you_." With that Malik grabbed Marik's face and pulled it down for a kiss. It was warm and new; neither had put so much emotion into this before. Marik grabbed Malik's sides in a strong grip, pushing the smaller boy against a banister on the porch. He didn't take the kiss any deeper, just pushed his body as close as he could to the boy who promised him to listen. To the first person to tell him that he was important.

Malik laced his fingers into Marik's hair and pushed his tongue through the other's lips. He curled it against the roof of Marik's mouth before pulling it back out and closing his mouth around Marik's upper lip. They parted without loosening their grips on each other. Marik smirked and put his forehead to Malik's, a dry chuckle escaping his lips.

"You'd rock that potato sack."

"Fuck yeah I would."

* * *

Yuugi exited the dressing room only half dressed with his phone in hand. His face beamed with excitement.

"Look at the picture Malik just sent me!"

He showed Ryou and Bakura a beautiful picture of Malik holding his phone in front of his face and Marik kissing his cheek through a smile.

"Finally!"

"Wow, someone actually listened to me."

"I've been waiting for them to get together. This is great!"

Inside the adjacent fitting room, Jou listened to his friends discuss the newest couple in their group. He pulled awkwardly on the fitted top he had chosen for the dance, to which he'd be going alone. He would never place his own heartache in front of his happiness for his friends, but seeing every one of his closest companions paired off this way only further emphasized his singleness.

And his unrequited feelings and exactly how unlikely it was for him to ever get Seto Kaiba to love him.

Ryou leaned up against the door hiding Jou and knocked. His friend swung it open suddenly and caught Ryou just before the white-haired teen got acquainted with the floor.

"That's great, you guys!" Jou smiled brightly at his friends who turned back to the phone, informing Malik of Jou's congrats. Ryou wrapped his arms around his friend and hugged him close. Allowing himself just one moment of pity, Jou hugged Ryou back tightly.

If he hadn't wanted to work on this project before, he especially didn't want to now.

* * *

Thank you so much for reading! Only two chapters left! :)


	8. Chapter 8

500 views on the previous chapter?! You guys are absolutely amazing! Thank you so very much! Please enjoy the second to last chapter of New Soul. :)

* * *

The weather was never particularly pleasant around their part of town. In the spring time it was cold but also somehow humid and in the summer you felt like you could swim through the air. But the winter time was the worst; the snow would be beautiful for about fifty seconds and then all three feet of it would change into muddy slush that seeped through even the best of winter boots.

Ryou decided very quickly that he did not like this snow at all.

He, Jou, and Yuugi nearly froze to death on the way to his house after school and now there was melted snow covering his foyer. He may have disliked the house, but he still needed to keep it clean.

"Why is it that we always seem to get your floor soaked?" Yuugi asked with a laugh. It was actually an adorable giggle that was one of Ryou's favorite noises in the world; Yuugi had the inexplicable talent of making you feel hope and joy just with the sound of his voice.

"Hey at least this time we can keep our pants on!" Shaking his hair out of his face, Jou walked passed his friends and into the kitchen. The two left behind shared a look knowing that today would be the day they finally spoke with their friend about his predicament. "Got any food?"

They gathered in the kitchen and rummaged through Ryou's cabinets looking for the best food option. Yuugi decided to bake some cookies like Yami had showed him and set to work while Ryou and Jou settled at the island drinking their pop.

"So how's everything going with Bakura?" Yuugi's question was meant to start a specific conversation, which did not escape Ryou. They were on a mission to help their friend and damnit they would succeed.

"It's actually brilliant. I'm learning how to trust him and be out of my shell without depending on him." Ryou smiled around the rim of his can. "I can't handle how cheesy I've grown all of a sudden."

Jou's laugh was hollow, but his efforts were not overlooked by his friends. Even though they knew how hard he was trying to be happy for them, watching someone they loved so much hurt so badly just made them want to call him out.

"Yami has been great, too. Remember how Grandpa was sick last weekend? Well when I got back from the grocery store on Saturday, Yami was at the Game Shop sweeping and helping customers. He didn't even realize I had come back! He was just dedicated to helping my Grandpa." Yuugi blushed as red as a tomato. "I'm going to tell him I love him tonight."

His friends stared at him with no surprise on their faces, but genuine congratulations. It was no secret that Yuugi and Yami loved each other deeply; they had the kind of connection even the best of relationships lacked.

The conversation dwindled slightly while Yuugi put the cookies into the oven. Ryou took a deep breath to steady himself before turning to Jou.

"Jou, what about your love life?"

The blonde's head snapped up from staring at his pop can. He was at a loss for what to say, though the concerned stares of Ryou and Yuugi clued him in to where they wanted to conversation to go.

"I haven't seen him since I took up the stang, but he will be there tomorrow to check on her progress. Man, that car is a beauty!" Since they obviously ignored his attempt to change the conversation (and, honestly, who was he trying to talk to about cars right now?), Jou sighed despairingly. Every ounce of his will power wasn't enough to stop tears from dripping away. "I don't know what to do, you guys. I don't even have the strength to fight with him anymore; I already know he hates me I don't need it rubbed in my face every day."

Neither of the two boys listening had ever heard their blonde friend cry before. His voice bubbled out of him carrying with it a treacherous ache that was obviously very old and very big. Ryou wrapped his arms around Jou's shoulders from the side while Yuugi slipped up in front of the stool and hugged Jou's waist. They just let him cry for a bit, unable to really do anything but listen.

"He's going with Tea to the dance, obviously. And I feel bad because even though she is too fucking peppy, she's a really nice girl and I can see why he likes her. I just want it to be me." Jou grabbed Ryou's arm with one hand and wrapped the other around Yuugi to bring his friend closer. He sobbed for the first time around someone that wasn't his stuffed animals.

Ryou tightened his grip, praying he could squeeze this agony out of his friend. Unrequited love is a plague that grasps adolescent hearts and rips them to shreds. He just wished that whatever may happen with Seto tomorrow would ease Jou's pain.

* * *

The school's garage was empty after school the next day except for Jou. Normally, a student would never be left unsupervised around such equipment but Jou was incredibly talented and had never had an accident (despite the likelihood of one occurring, given his clumsy tendencies). Thankfully the work he had to do on the Mustang was incredibly thought consuming and he didn't have much brain capacity left to worry about Seto Kaiba's impending visit.

Wiping his hands with an old oil-covered rag, Jou walked to the stereo and turned it up. The Cave by Mumford & Sons had come on his shuffle and he knew every word. He leaned over the engine and started moving his hips back and forth, although the song didn't really call for it. But he was in too bright of a mood to care; finally crying and talking to his friends last night felt amazing. He felt refreshed and could think clearly in a way that he hadn't been able to for a long time.

The lyrics fell naturally off of his lips and the vague echo from inside the car's hood was just loud enough that when added to the stereo, it drowned out incoming footsteps.

"Cause I have other things to fill my time. You take what is yours and I'll take mine. Now let me at the truth which will refresh my broken mind."

The presence of another body right next to him under the hood threw Jou's poor heart into over drive. He jumped away and landed ungracefully on his ass.

"Never took you for a banjo guy, pup." Seto's face did not smile, his mouth stayed stationery. But Jou could have sworn he saw laughter in those eyes. A second later it was gone because Kaiba had turned his head back towards his car. "She looks amazing."

From his position on the floor, Jou regarded Seto Kaiba incredulously. He rose to his feet using one hand to rub his poor tailbone, the other steadying his body on a pole next to the car. Kaiba was leaning over the engine, though one of his hands was extended towards Jou who just looked at it like it could bite him.

"Oil rag, Jou." Kaiba rolled his eyes. Embarrassed, Jou handed over his rag. Unfortunately due to the embarrassment and overflow of emotions clogging his brain at the moment, Jou completely missed the fact that Kaiba called him by his name with no canine references whatsoever.

In his defense, watching someone you were devastatingly attracted to checking the oil of an equally devastatingly attractive car was _very_ distracting.

"You even got this to stop leaking. I'm impressed." The billionaire leaned back and looked at Jou approvingly… about as close to a smile as anyone would get from him in public. "What else needs to be done?"

Finally, something he could talk about that didn't involve "Wait, Seto, could you bend over that engine again please?"

"I've got to rotate the tires, then realign her but after that she should be good as new." He smiled brightly at Kaiba while walking to stand next to the brunette. Vaguely, both boys were aware that this was the longest they had ever gone without insulting each other.

"Excellent." A change in song seemed to catch Kaiba's attention: Skinny Love by Bon Iver. "Ah, Tea hated when I listened to this song. Of course, she hated when any of my music played. Said that I had – and I quote – 'surprisingly hick tastes' for someone as 'bougie' as myself."

Jou laughed loudly at the amused twinkle in Seto's eye as he air quoted. But wait…

"You're speaking in past tense?" He asked. A small amount of shock settled on Seto's face. He leaned back against the pole Jou had previously been using to steady himself and crossed his arms. Jou just now took in the unusually casual appearance of his crush; a plain white T-shirt tucked in to some slacks.

"I'm surprised you didn't hear. Then again, having your head in an engine for most of the day you probably can't hear much." Kaiba smirked. Jou found it very difficult not to drool, so he took to unbuttoning his jumpsuit as a distraction. Underneath was revealed a clean black T-shirt and jeans with holes torn through them low enough to see the edge of his boxers underneath. He thought for a moment that Kaiba gulped, but that had to be his very active imagination. "I broke up with her."

The back flips Jou's heart performed at those words were so grand he almost flinched. There was still the fact that Kaiba hated him and was probably really straight, but at least he didn't have to see him be with someone else.

"I'm sorry, Kaiba." He didn't have to feign sympathy, even if he was happy about it. Jou always put others before himself and after all, "Break ups suck."

"Not this one, really. I had a very comforting reason for doing so."

"And that was?" Jou asked before he could think. He immediately back pedaled; Seto came closer to him and they danced around slightly, ending with Jou's back to the pole and Kaiba a foot away from him. "I mean you don't have to tell me nothing, I understand if you wanna keep it to yourself!"

Kaiba shook his head, eyes never leaving Jou's.

"I don't mind sharing." He unfolded his arms and played around with the collar of Jou's T-shirt. "I just finally figured out that someone I've always wanted isn't as repulsed by me as he previously stated."

Jou gulped. There was no way he was talking about him. Unless this was some kind of trick, in which case Jou wouldn't hesitate to revive his fighting spirit. Just because he had a hopeless crush on the guy didn't mean he could walk all over him. Anger flashed in his narrowed honey eyes. He swatted Kaiba's hand away and turned around the pole so it separated them.

"Don't fuck with me. I _will_ cut your breaks." Kaiba's eyes flashed with relief and passion, a decidedly odd combination. He was just grateful to have this fighting spark back in the blonde's face.

"I'm not fucking with you, Jou." He loved the shock registering on Jou's face. Being able to throw someone with such a raw, honest personality for a loop like this was intoxicating.

"Then why were you with her if you wanted to be with me?" Jou's voice was unfittingly quiet, though fire still burned behind his eyes. "That wasn't easy to look at, you know."

"I know." About as close to an apology as he could get. "It was because she pissed me off."

"…You're demented." Jou scoffed. _Finally_, thought Kaiba, _an insult._

"She's the only one who can come even close to making me as angry as you do. It made it easier to pretend." The look on Jou's face as he stepped back around the pole said he wasn't sure whether to take that as a compliment or an insult. He broached Kaiba's personal space, teasing the color of the other's T-shirt in a copy cat way to what rich-boy had done before.

"You could have just told me, you know." He looked up into shining blue eyes, closer than he ever dreamed they could be. Seto slowly drew his arms up to grasp Jou's hips, pulling him close. For the first time Jou could remember in all the years he had watched Seto, he smiled at someone who wasn't his little brother.

He smiled at Jou.

"What do you say to better late than never?" Jou laughed with joy and nodded, putting his hands just under Seto's hair and pulling him down for their lips to graze. Neither was sure who initiated it, but gentle kissing was never going to be suitable for two so enthralled by each other. Their grips tightened on each other and their lips moved fervently against each other. Jou could taste mint gum and nicotine, though he wasn't sure which of them either was coming from. He felt the pole against his rear and slowed down their movements, purposefully drawing out each graze with his fingers and allowing his tongue to linger between his lips at their place on Seto's. He opened his eyes and smiled blindingly at Seto.

"Better late than never sounds good to me."

* * *

It was not very well known around the school that Yami and Kaiba were cousins.

It was even less well known that they talk to each other regularly outside of school and get along rather well as long as a competition was not involved.

So when Yuugi called Yami over to his house last night in a tizzy and informed his boyfriend – without taking a breath, might I add – that he had had every intention of confessing his love for Yami that night but just couldn't now that he was so upset about Jou's unrequited crush on Kaiba, it hadn't taken very long for Yami to text his cousin and inform him that he needed to get his ass in motion and get with Jou so that Yuugi and he could get back to being in love and having the sex.

Yami smiled into Yuugi's hair as his small lover dozed on his chest. They had spent the entire night in Yami's room after Jou informed Yuugi of Seto's confession.

He would have to seriously repay his cousin for acting so quickly.

* * *

The weather is really like that around my university. It fuuuuuuucking sucks.

Only one more chapter! It will be updated either tomorrow or Sunday. :) Fifty thousand thank yous to everyone who has read my story! I'm honored you would spend your time on my words. :)

P.S. - This is random but every time I look through my stories to upload and see the picture I have for my profile I just spontaneously combust into fan girl squeals because I loooveee that picture. KTHXCYAL8R


	9. Chapter 9

FINAL CHAPTER :( BUT THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH FOR READING!

* * *

"Let me tell you. Captain Jack Harkness could just get it. Any time he wanted." Ryou couldn't help the nearly painful laughter at Malik's words. They had spent too much time watching Doctor Who and not enough time getting ready for the dance, but his sandy-haired friend had a point. Jack Harkness was worth it.

"Oi! Let's save the ogling at other men for when I leave, yeah?" Marik pinched his boyfriend's behind, earning a yelp. He had grown to be slightly more talkative around the group of friends since Malik had set to work convincing him that he was important.

It also helped that Malik seemed to be even happier when Marik spoke, and lighting up that face with a smile was worth risked embarrassment for a few words.

"Guys, the dance starts in just a couple hours. Shouldn't we get going?" Although he posed the question, Jou seemed very comfortable in his position on a recliner in Ryou's living room and made no effort to follow his own advice. Yuugi, on the other hand, had been looking forward to this dance for weeks – since he and Yami officially got together. So he wasn't going to let anything, especially his friend's too-enthusiastic appreciation of Harkness Bottom, make him miss it.

He sat up from Yami's lap and shook his rear in his boyfriend's face, motivating him to move. They walked over together to the stereo (of course, Yami tripped over Bakura's legs as he really wasn't watching where he walked) and Yuugi put on the greatest montage song of all time.

"99 Red Balloons!" Bakura jumped up and danced as if he were moshing. "Goldfinger is amazing."

His eagerness soon inspired the rest of them to get up and dance up the stairs. They separated into two rooms, with Jou, Yuugi, Ryou, and Marik in one room and Malik joining Yami and Bakura in the other. Marik was apprehensive about being around people without Malik because he knew now they would expect him to talk, but Ryou was comforting. He didn't like being exposed to others very much either.

"Jou, isn't Kaiba going to be taking you?" The blonde nodded as he pulled a fitted half-sleeve shirt over his head. He smiled at his shorter friend once he was dressed.

"He said to just wait here for him, because he had a surprise for us. Something about owing his cousin one." Yuugi's eyebrows furrowed at the mention of Yami before understanding settled on his face. Without buttoning his shirt all the way or pulling his dress slacks on, he stormed across the hall.

"Yami you risked my best friend's heart for _sex_!?" Ryou's mouth dropped as Jou laughed. He already knew of Yami's involvement in his relationship and was honestly grateful. If only Yuugi would have stayed long enough to hear him say that.

Oh well. Yami would just have to bare the wrath of Moto.

"A-aibou, it wasn't like th- could you put pants on before you yell at me? It's very distracting."

"Is that all you think about, you buttwaffle?"

"_Buttwaffle_?! The fuck is a buttwaffle, Yuugi?"

"Shut up, Bakura."

Ryou held on to Marik as he breached tears from laughter. The usually silent boy was himself enjoying a chuckle at their friends' antics. Yami and Yuugi existed in their own world sometimes, but it was enjoyable to watch.

"Cousin, are you ever _not_ in trouble?"

Jou's face lit up at the sound of Seto's voice. He too rushed out of their room (though he was fully dressed) and greeted the CEO with a smile. From their position in the bedroom, Ryou and Marik could see a blonde mop slide to a halt in front of Kaiba and the taller boy present Jou with a bouquet of multicolored freesia flowers. They symbolized energy, something Jou was never lacking.

Ryou shook his head and pulled his T-shirt off. He had already changed into slacks and only needed to adorn his red button up shirt and black tie.

"Ryou, I hope you don't mind I just told Seto to come on in." The white-haired host waved his hand. He didn't mind having people coming and going as they pleased. In fact, he encouraged it. Marik shook Kaiba's hand; thankfully the tanner boy was fully clothed with a solid lilac sweater and black slacks.

"Oh, this was on your porch. I brought it in for you." Kaiba handed Ryou a box before taking Jou downstairs to show him the surprise. Marik followed after being called by Malik who was already downstairs and screaming with excitement.

Left alone in the room, Ryou sat on his bed and stared at the package. It was postmarked from Egypt.

"Babe, you should have seen the shrimp yelling at the taller shrimp, it was ep-" Bakura stopped his sentence short when he reached the doorway. Ryou looked up at him with tear filled eyes as he pulled a shining charm bracelet out of the box. There was a charm of a pyramid, a camera, and a garnet stone. The letter inside said simply,

_New Year_

_Dad_

Bakura walked over to Ryou and gently took the box from his hands, placing the bracelet and letter back inside. He began to speak as he buttoned the rest of Ryou's shirt and tied his tie.

"We can deal with it tomorrow, okay? Don't let him take this night from you. We are going to participate and have an amazing time with our friends and he can't stop it." Ryou nodded, brushing his hair back into a pony tail. Bakura smiled at him and rubbed a thumb gently over his cheek. Ryou leaned in to the touch, marveling at just how easy it was for this boy to calm him down and make him want to believe in life.

They shared a small kiss before running downstairs, grins on their faces. Outside, two couples waited for them next to a Kaiba Corp limo – a.k.a. the big surprise.

"Wow, Seto this is amazing. Thank you so much!" Ryou smiled and hugged his friend. Kaiba's eyes widened a bit as he was not used to such affection, but a threatening glare from Bakura compelled him to hug back. No one really wanted to upset Ryou in the first place, but having Bakura there to promise dreadful pain to any who _did_ trouble his love was all the extra push you needed.

"Alright then," Kaiba cleared his throat, pointedly ignoring the amused grin from Jou. "Yami, can we get going already?"

His shout into the house was met by two star-haired teens running down the stairs, both now fully clothed but still disheveled.

"Hold your horses, we're coming."

"Ew."

"Bite me, Malik."

"I'll leave that to Yuugi, thanks." Malik winked at his friends as he climbed in to the limousine. Ryou positioned himself off to the side in order to take pictures of his friends as they joked and laughed. He particularly loved the one of Yuugi's blush when he yelled at Malik for his perverseness.

The pictures from the limo ride were as silly as the ones from their first night in Ryou's house after running home in the rain. His favorite was definitely one that had been taken with the timer Bakura convinced him to use. From the camera's place on a seat, you could see Ryou burying his face in Bakura's shoulder while the taller boy held him close and glared furiously across the aisle at Malik, who was shrugging. Marik was holding his gut as he laughed, leaning into Malik's side. Yuugi's jaw was dropped and his cheeks flushed as Yami leaned in to whisper in his ear with a devilish smirk. Seto had rolled his lips into his mouth and looked down from the camera trying desperately not to laugh because Jou was gripping his shoulder and pointing at Malik with an incredulous look on his face that was just too cute.

All in all, it summarized that night perfectly.

Also, it served as a reminder to _never_ ask Ryou if he and Bakura had tried "The Stem" in bed yet. Or any other sexual positions, for that matter.

They reached the school with relatively little injury; everyone's counterparts were too protective to allow any harm to befall their loves. However, they were some of the first people at the school and there was really no one else there except the volunteers helping to set up the gym.

"Look what the cat dragged in." Bakura was pulled away from Ryou and locked in a full nelson by someone unidentifiable. "You haven't visited me in a few days; I'm starting to feel abandoned."

Bakura rolled his eyes at the crocodile tears and pushed at Duke unsuccessfully.

"I've been a little preoccupied, you know." His voice rasped out as he pushed harder at the older boy, still failing to get him off.

"You know you and Ryou can use the back room for sex any time. I'll even turn off the cameras," Duke smiled at Ryou with his eyes closed, as if he was being incredibly noble in his offer. "Just come visit your old man sometimes, okay?"

Bakura's face was turning blue and Ryou was growing concerned. He smiled at Duke and held his arms out for his date.

"We promise to come visit if you let Bakura live right now." Duke released his captive with a laugh. Bakura hugged Ryou tightly with false whimpers about 'inhuman strength for such a girly man'. Ryou giggled and patted Bakura's hair comfortingly.

Duke introduced himself to those in the group he didn't already know before explaining that he was here as an alumni to help chaperone the dance as well as spy on his "favorite lil Kura". He then assigned preparation tasks to everyone, since they were there early anyways.

Naively, he asked Jou to help set up the food tables. Seto accompanied him to assure that there would be some left over for the rest of the school.

Ryou naturally helped to set up the photo booth, taking breaks to get his picture taken with Bakura in silly positions.

Marik and Malik went outside to position signs and balloons around the school's courtyard. And also so that Marik could smoke to calm his nerves.

Yuugi and Yami assisted Duke with the DJ booth. Although, to be incredibly frank it didn't seem that he needed any more help in that department. He had a tall, muscular man by the name of Tristan sweating a bit and lifting the heavier pieces. Duke winked at Yuugi and lifted his hands to mimic grabbing Tristan's posterior, making Yuugi giggle and Yami roll his eyes.

About an hour and a half later, the party was in full swing. Almost their entire class was present, including Tea. She glanced over at Kaiba and Jou a few times, smiling sadly. But despite Jou's nerves about attending the dance with Seto, he was never approached by the brunette girl. In fact, even though she looked a little saddened by their joint hands, she was having a great time dancing very closely to her friend Miho.

Ryou stood off to the side with Jou and Yuugi. None of them felt particularly comfortable grinding in public as their classmates did – especially Malik. He and Marik were a pants breadth away from having sex on the dance floor.

Yami broke through the crowd towards them and shouted so they could hear him.

"I got the DJ to play a song you guys will like by giving him Duke's number." He smirked at Yuugi. "Matchmaking is in my blood, apparently."

They laughed and moved to the floor to find their dates. Bakura and Kaiba were drinking punch way too excitedly; it was probably spiked.

Bakura nearly had a conniption when Ryou asked him to dance to the next song with him, but didn't reject him. Jou took Kaiba's hand and together the six of them made their way over to Malik and Marik. When the drums started on one of Yuugi's favorite songs he squealed and hugged Yami. They all began to jump and shout the lyrics to each other, glad that their other classmates seemed to enjoy it just as much. Soon the dance transformed from a grind-fest to a mosh pit.

"Fate fell short this time, your smile fades in the summer!" Yuugi grabbed Yami's cheeks and sang to him; Yami's smile was squished between his aibou's hands and he looked like a chubby baby, but smiled all the same at Yuugi's happiness.

Ryou grinned when Bakura spun him around as he had on the cafeteria table during Ryou's first week. They all danced until their sweat soaked the edges of their hair and it was only fifteen minutes until the New Year.

Malik grabbed Ryou's hand and pulled him along to the garden where he and Marik decorated earlier. They purposefully misplaced the signs so no other students would be there, and the eight friends would have it all to themselves. Of course, it was freezing and still kind of covered in snow, but they were so hot from dancing that it felt good.

From his position in Bakura's arms, Ryou watched all of his friends. Jou was laughing at Kaiba who was whispering something in his ear, probably about the way Marik raised his cigarette above his head so Malik – who was jumping and reaching as much as he could – didn't get it from him. Yuugi and Yami faced each other, with their arms wrapped around as if in a slow dance. Ryou saw Yami's mouth silently proclaim his love and Yuugi return it. They rubbed their noses in an Eskimo kiss before actually locking lips.

"How you doin, shutter bug?" Ryou turned himself to face his date, with a huge grin on his face. For the first time in almost ten years, he had no desire to be behind the lens. He was completely content in the company of his friends. In the arms of Bakura.

"Bakura," he started. Bakura raised his eyebrows as the countdown started. They had ten seconds until a totally new year began. A reboot of their everyday lives; the kind of fresh start people dreamed about. Ryou stepped forward to get as close to Bakura as possible. Around him, his friends huddled close to their loved ones, readying themselves for their New Year's Kisses. The snow crunched under their feet and Ryou smiled. He hated the snow. He hated his house. He hated his father. He hated classes and he especially hated the fact that his mother was dead.

But he loved his life.

"I've never been better." Ryou whispered as he touched his lips to Bakura's at the strike of twelve. A new year had officially begun and he was surrounded by people who genuinely loved him. They weren't perfect, by any means.

Some of them were too wrapped up in other people; others were too wrapped up in themselves. A couple had social anxiety so severe that they could barely breathe in certain instances. At least one of them was dangerously confident. They dreamed bigger than reality and were all in danger of falling flat on their faces. But they were so very happy.

This New Year, Ryou would spend with his friends. He would put pictures of himself up in his house amongst those he had of everyone else. He would really, truly live his life to the best of his ability.

And he would love every second of it.

* * *

THE END! :(

BUT YAY! Only three years later . sorry about that wait, you guys. But I'm so very grateful for all of you who have stayed with me! I would appreciate some reviews to tell me what you thought about the ending, if that's possible? : ) Thank you!

Stay tuned to my page for future one-shots and other shipping goodness.

PS – props to anyone who caught the little coinshipping cameo haha

K I LOVE YOU ALL! LIVE YOUR LIVES TO THE FULLEST!


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